


The Cheshire and the Cat

by bakedsweetpotato



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-02 23:22:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12736389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakedsweetpotato/pseuds/bakedsweetpotato
Summary: Maggie moves to National City and is instantly thrown head-first into a swirling tornado of crazy. Pretty plot driven. Mostly focused on Maggie because isn't she just the cutest lil thing? Oh yes, there are a few original characters too. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

This is ridiculous, Maggie thinks.

She lugs her what-feels-like 20 ton luggage onto the conveyor belt at the check-in, huffing to blow the wisps of hair that have fallen to curtain her view.

"Cursed tiny body," she hisses, more to herself than anyone else.

The attendant over the counter chuckles in amusement, looping labels around the handles of Maggie's luggage and neatly slotting a boarding pass into her passport.

"The last window seat," the attendant nods towards Maggie as she hands over the passport with a knowing smile, "figured you'd need it." She almost looks back down then adds quickly, "oh yes, you might want to hurry Detective Sawyer."

"Thanks," Maggie mutters. She's grateful for the thoughtfulness of the lady, though she does a shit job of showing it; glad she'll be minimally bothered during the draggy 6 hour flight. God knows she'd probably trip up anyone who dares wake her to make way for their weak bladders. She flicks her right wrist free of the sleeve of her loose-fit flannel, glancing at the analog. Twenty minutes to boarding and her gate's an actual mile away, through a sea of bustling human people. Nice going, Sawyer.

"Excuse me" serves as her mantra the whole way there, hand tightly gripped onto the glock hidden at her side as she weaves in and out of the crowd. She finally makes it, panting only slightly, and the air marshals have just started calling for the regular joes to form an orderly queue. She squeezes past more bodies to the front, hearing the " _for fuck's sake_ "s from being pushed and the discourteous "HEY, BACK OF THE LINE!"s that people yell at her back. She bites the inside of her cheek, but shows no reaction past that, and flashes her badge coolly when she reaches the front.

The steward raises a questioning brow for a split second then tries to hide it. Maggie knows she deserves it. Law enforcements are supposed to report at least ten minutes earlier to board before the rest. Possession of armed weapons and all that. He unhooks the stanchion rope behind him and leads her through. His colleague immediately takes over his position as bouncer.

"Identification, ma'am?" he asks once they move to the side and out of ear-reach. 

Maggie peers around before she answers softly but confidently. "Detective Maggie Sawyer. Gotham PD. Badge number 4275."

The steward checks his clipboard, probably _triple_ checks considering how long he takes, before giving her the okay to go on inside.

"Thank you," she gives him a nod then passes him.

It's gloomy out, she notes as she looks out the glass-encased walkway to the plane door. The dark clouds loom in clusters so big they block out any distinct trace of sunlight, casting an odd dimly lit dull over anything her eyes land on. Just another day in Gotham.

Maggie slinks into her seat once she makes it there. It's far _far_ back, because she's an idiot who shows up so late she has to exploit the use of her badge and beg the air stewardess to reopen check-in for her. The lady does, of course, because she's a saint and probably felt sorry for the way Maggie was practically cold-sweating desperation. She sends a silent prayer that the flight goes smoothly, without any delays, because she really can't afford that shit right now. The flight drops her in National City, California at 6pm. Her first official meeting with her new NCPD division takes place just two hours later, at the state dinner, and doubles as her first official mission. She's appointed as back-up protection for the president, the first female president, who some (no doubt) sexist asshole tried to assassinate just weeks ago.

Maggie turns away as an elderly man slowly takes his seat beside her, eyes training on the wing of the airplane just outside her window. She waits until they're in the air and he's long asleep before she shuts the window and digs out her tablet, pulling up the confidential mission brief and tilting the device at an angle away from possible curious old eyes.

She scrolls, reading it in detail for the fifth time and committing the building's floor plans and exit strategies to memory. Strictly undercover, which means she'll have to doll up for the dinner to blend in with the guests. She thinks about the black lace dress in her luggage and throws another prayer that that little number will land safely as well, knowing fully that she's got no plan B in that department. Running a hand through her messy waves, Maggie decides against catching a movie and slips straight to sleep for the next few hours, building up much needed energy for what would be one of the craziest nights of her life.

She wakes to a rough hand shaking her arm gently, starting slightly before she gains her bearings. It's the old man beside her that's nudging her. She nods to tell him she's up.

"Thank you sir," she mumbles, the sleep still heavy in her throat. They've landed and the plane is significantly noisier than it was before she'd fallen asleep. She turns and blinks, realizing the window shutter had been pulled back up, probably for landing, to reveal the warm glow hovering over the city. Sunset.

Maggie can't remember the last time she's seen anything like this. That's a lie. It was Nebraska, centuries ago, when she still lived with her aunt. She sighs, and drags her carry-on from under the seat, swinging it over her shoulder as she makes her way down the now empty aircraft.

By the time she makes it past security and collects her baggage, she's got a little over an hour left until the dinner. Her tummy growls at the thought and she groans audibly as she climbs into a cab headed to her hotel. Some time during the drive, she remembers she's supposed to report a half hour early for the pre-mission briefing. Fuck's sake, Sawyer.

She tells the driver to wait, that she'll be right down again. She checks-in quickly and gets the keys to her room, doesn't unpack, doesn't do anything but change into her black dress. She still looks like utter crap but figures she can fix that on the way there, and they're off again, speeding through the city. At least this driver's got a sense of urgency, she thinks, unfazed by the sharp turns and jerks of the car which would have sent any regular person reeling. They make it there in record time and Maggie grins for the first time all day, eyes shining at the rush of adrenaline.

"Fast enough for ya?" The driver laughs.

"I'll say. That was some sick work, man." Maggie laughs along. She tips him generously and fishes out her phone from her purse to check the time.

\---

"Where's the new girl?"

"No one's seen her yet, sir, but everyone else is present."

The captain frowns, slightly annoyed, at the back of The Mandela, where the dinner is held. "Start the briefing as scheduled, with or without her."

The urgent clicks of Maggie's heels draw the attention of every officer in the relatively silent group. Her eyes dart from person to person, at a loss for words, feeling vaguely like she's intruded on something out of her jurisdiction.

"Detective Maggie Sawyer, I presume?"

"Yes, sorry. Am I late to the briefing?"

"We start in a minute, Detective." The captain nods, the slight displeasure from moments before vanishing as quickly as it came.

"Yes, captain." Maggie acknowledges his rank from his uniform. Everyone's quietly waiting for the briefing, but attention's still clearly on her. She can feel them sizing her up, most curious, but some condescending. She expected that, really. She's used to being underestimated for being non-male, non-white, and tiny. She sneaks glances at the ladies around, quickly realizing she's clearly got more 'dolling up' to do once they get inside. Looking at their fully-caked faces makes her feel somewhat self-conscious about her almost bare face and she finds herself squaring her shoulders and drawing a deep breath to recover her usual confidence.

\---

"The president's safety is the number one priority. We expect nothing short of perfect focus and execution on this mission. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the group responds in unison.

"You heard the sergeant. You have your orders. Now carry them out. Dismissed." The captain rounds off the meeting and the group scatters, heading back out into the open. The uniforms enter first while the undercovers take time to melt into the crowd outside the doors before making their entrance into The Mandela as well. Maggie observes from the side, taking in the way the department works. Their standard operating procedure. She figures she should get the hang of it as quick as she can since she'll be officially joining them from today onwards.

She's got all their faces down just from scanning the group during the meeting. Maggie's a quick study when it comes to these things. Yet oddly enough, looking into the crowd right now, she feels like there are more undercovers than she remembers. She spots a male strolling towards the door, arm draped around a pretty blonde and she swears they're both carrying. Something feels off but Maggie shrugs it away, using it to heighten her senses rather than drive herself into a state of paranoia. She enters too, and heads to the toilet to freshen up before the president arrives.

\---

"Hmm," Maggie hums and cocks her head to the side, scrutinizing herself and lost in an internal debate about whether she looks all right. She's so off into herself she jumps when she hears a soft laugh from close behind her. Too close. In the mirror, she sees a redhead popping up over her shoulder and blinks.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The redhead is looking at her apologetically now and Maggie misses her smile already.

"No, it's okay. I was just zoning out a little. Sorry for blocking the way." Maggie offers a polite smile and steps aside to let her use the sink. It's when she steps away that the mirror reveals the tight blue material wrapped around the tall redhead, clinging to her skin in all the oh-so-right places. Maggie blushes slightly and looks up at herself immediately, thankful the blush doesn't show.

"No problem at all." Her eyes meet Maggie's in the mirror and linger longer than they should, neither of them breaking the eye contact.

"Alex, you in here?!" The unexpected shout and slam of the bathroom door makes them both jump and snap towards the door, Maggie's hand instinctively reaching for her gun but stopping just short. She thanks the heavens that neither ladies seem to notice.

"Kara, stop yelling. I'm right here." The redhead chastises, turning back to the sink to resume washing her hands.

Maggie breathes to compose herself and minds her own business, pretending to fix her hair one last time before heading out. She vaguely hears the blonde whisper a "did I interrupt something?" as she leaves, but ignores it and seeps into the now fully occupied ballroom. It's a mad mix of rich and important, which Maggie starts to realize means pretty much the same thing here. The difference from Gotham is stark; gold and jewels and loud throaty laughs opposed to dark, mysterious, calculative eyes. It's a fairytale type of world for Maggie, bright lights and happy faces. Her lips tug at the corners involuntarily and for the first time in a long _long_ time, happiness feels contagious.

A crackle in her ear snaps her out of it.

_POTUS has arrived. I repeat, POTUS has arrived. Everyone into position._

To anyone else, it would've seemed like nothing had happened, but Maggie watches the NCPD officers fall tighter towards the stage, watches several ladies and gents in the crowd around her share brief eye contact, non-verbal agreement, then walk away. The already huge gap from Gotham PD is made even wider. The police department here works as an actual team. Shocker. She's not used to it, and feels kind of glad they don't seem to pay her much attention. If she's not included in the loop, they can't blame her on not being able to understand their coded messages, right?

Maggie stays where she is, gratefully accepting a glass of champagne when a waiter approaches her. She sips lightly to appear casual but takes care not to have too much, watching the president take the stage. By the time she reaches the stand, everyone's quiet and all eyes are on her. She smiles brightly before speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending the dinner tonight. We are here to celebrate the strengthening ties between us and our allies, many of whom have representatives present in this very room. I would like to first and foremost express my unwavering gratitude to all of the delegates who have taken the time and effort to travel here tonight."

The speech continues for a while and everyone's captivated with the fluid, gentle voice of the president. She's graceful and her eyes flit across the room to make sure she's engaging everyone. Her charisma is undeniable. It's too late before anyone notices when the glass ceiling shatters overhead, raining down on the hundreds of unsuspecting, mortified people. Screams burst out across the entire room and everyone uses their arms to shield their faces, scrambling towards the exit. The falling glass slices anything it touches, gravity weighing down the sharp pieces and raking them across bare skin and silk dresses. Maggie's mind takes little time playing catch-up with her eyes and she's got her gun trained up at the sky the instant all the glass touches the ground. She expects military grade men clad in black lowering themselves in for a fight to get to the president, but sees only a murky glow hovering against the dark sky.

_Alpha team, get the president to safety! Everyone else, fire at will._

The shouts and screams and gunshots intensify with the buzzing in her ear and Maggie realizes she's regaining her senses back from the shock. The glow starts to take a more distinct form and Maggie collapses in disbelief, jaw dropping with her legs. She feels the glass cut at her knees and hisses, pushing herself up and dusting the painful pieces off. That's when she sees a flash of red and blue and feels a gust of wind so strong it almost knocks her off her feet again. She can't believe what she's seeing. It's Supergirl, up there, chasing after another floating, glowing girl who had shimmery grayish purple-blue blasts shooting out of her hands and at the president. This flying _My Little Pony_ was trying to kill the president. Maggie just couldn't wrap her head around it. What the hell has she gotten herself into?

She flips her head around and the NCPD have lowered their weapons, clearly leaving the fight to the alien. She clicks her gun back in her thigh holster. The officers usher people to safety outside and the place quickly empties into a room full of broken debris, not quite as bright anymore. In the filtering mess, Maggie spots the beautiful redhead from earlier, arm around another lady who appears injured, limping out the front door. What catches her eye is the handgun she holds while her arm is draped around the lady's waist. This isn't happening. She turns to the sky again and both the aliens are gone, Supergirl probably taking the fight elsewhere to minimize casualties. Maggie dusts herself off and makes her way to the door, stumbling slightly from the sharp cuts all over her bare skin, the wounds on her knees making it especially painful to take the steps forward.

"Are you okay?" She peers up from staring at the cuts on her forearm to meet the warmest pair of brown eyes.

"Yeah, just feels like a million tiny paper cuts. Hurts like a real bitch."

The familiar soft laugh of the redhead causes her to grin in return.

"Let's get you out of here."

This time, Maggie feels more than sees the pistol bumping into her back lightly as the redhead guides her out gently. It's not pointed at her, which she's definitely relieved by, but she can't help wondering why on earth this woman is even strapped in the first place. She certainly wasn't at the NCPD briefing. Maggie would've remembered.

When they reach the pavement outside, limos are pulled up along the entire stretch of road. Dignitaries are being hustled into the vehicles to speed off to safety and the president is nowhere to be seen. The warmth in the small of her back reminds her that the taller woman still has a hand on her. She turns to her and clears her throat a little, chuckling when the redhead stammers a surprised apology and withdraws her hand.

"Sorry, I didn't realize."

"No worries," Maggie smiles again, "thanks for the help, uh...."

"Alex. It's Alex." She's about to smile too but suddenly jolts, snapping her head at the sky. "I'm so sorry, I have to go. You should get to the hospital for a look over those wounds."

Maggie doesn't have time to reply before she sprints off back inside the building, fingers at her ear and shouting at someone through her comms. Maybe there were two NCPD divisions assigned to this mission. That would explain the extra fuzz, Maggie thinks.

_The president is secure. Everyone report to the back immediately._

Maggie shifts and starts to walk towards their initial briefing spot. It's not long before the familiar faces are gathered around in the same group again, only this time everyone looks a twinge more battered. There's blood trickling down most of them from minor cuts but no serious injuries otherwise. They each count off their designated numbers to make sure everyone's accounted for and Maggie stays silent, doesn't know where she comes in. The sergeant glances in her direction and looks her over, then nods. He debriefs them and calls the higher ranking officials to stay behind, dismissing everyone else and ordering them to treat their wounds before coming in for duty tomorrow. Maggie's about to walk off when he stops her.

"You all right, Sawyer?"

"Yes sir." She doesn't elaborate about how unreal everything seems to her.

"Good. You're 58."

"What?"

"In the headcount. You come in at 58 next time."

"Oh, thank you sir." Maggie nods.

"Welcome to the team." He gives her a slight, knowing smile and Maggie somehow feels like she's just buckled herself into the craziest ride of her life.

It's one thing to be weird. Hell, Gotham was messed up; but it was messed up in the shadows. It was secret alleyway beat-ups and underground torture chambers, not bright, blinding 'hey look at me! I'm not human!' beacons dashing through the fucking snow in a one horse open sleigh. Maggie groans as she walks to the end of the street, away from the crowd and throws herself into the Uber she called just moments ago. It's not the cabbie from before but he gets her back to her hotel in a decent time and she's showered and into bed before the thought of treating her wounds even crosses her mind, because screw _that_ shit.

\---

Morning comes around too soon.

"God please no," Maggie groans into her pillow when her alarm starts to blare but she reaches out for it anyway, pushing herself off the soft duvet to stand on the cool carpeted floor.

She's used to this by now; getting up at ungodly hours. What she isn't used to, is the muted sunlight streaming in from the crack of dawn outside her windows. With the sun out and actually shining, Maggie is able to make out the city in this one instant better than she's ever been able to see Gotham. Even with the jetlag heavy against her lids, it's easier to get up and make her way down to the precinct than most days the past couple years.

"Here," the sergeant, who introduced himself as Jackson Decker, hands Maggie a stack of papers to fill in. She'd just gotten through the official introduction with the entire department, pleasantly surprised she's actually higher in rank than most of them. The looks she received last night suddenly take a more respectful turn and she smiles, thankful she doesn't have to fight for a place here. Next, she gets the lay down of the work they do and where she comes in. They investigate aliens, what a surprise, though not really, and Maggie can only sigh in response. All that's left of this little orientation is for her to fill in some paperwork and collect her badge and standard-issue gun. It's half past eight in the morning by the time she's done and she's asked to join the ground team back at The Mandela.

"They're going through the crime scene, checking for anomalies, possible traces of DNA or something the perp left that could clue us in on her identity or whereabouts. I want you down there with them, learning and helping. We could use someone with your deductive skills in the field. I've heard great things about you from your supervisors back at Gotham, I have high expectations, I hope you won't disappoint."

"I'll do my best, sir." Maggie doesn't ask but realizes the underlying meaning that Supergirl didn't manage to catch the attacker.

"Good. Report back your findings when you're done." The sergeant leaves, and Maggie follows the second team that's heading out for the day. It's a mess when they arrive at the scene, daylight exposing the magnitude of the chaos from the previous night. The entire area around The Mandela has been cordoned off, and Maggie has to flash her badge to get in. She hops into work immediately. Amidst the quiet bustle of the forensics team scattered around and officers turning over debris in the building in search of evidence, Maggie feels in her zone again. Especially without aliens flying over her head. She's getting information from a forensics expert about the charred wood pieces on the ground and holes in the wall when she hears someone yelling from the side. A sideways glance tells her it's directed at her.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing in my crime scene?" The woman demands harshly, glaring down at her.

Maggie looks up from where she's squatting but squints as the sun beams through the ceiling-less sky from behind the lady, blinding her. As she raises a hand to shield her eyes, the woman takes a sudden step back, blocking the direct sun from Maggie. Her wide eyes match those of the redhead standing before her.

"It's you," Alex manages to say.

After yesterday, nothing quite catches Maggie so off guard anymore. She stands and shrugs off the surprise.

"I was wondering why you were carrying yesterday; was even planning to pay you a visit after lunch about that. Read you your rights before taking you in." Maggie smirks.

Alex laughs as Maggie gets to her feet.

"Can't say I'm surprised. You didn't run from the danger back there, should've known it was training not bravery," Alex teases back, though not quite as confidently as Maggie.

"I'll have you know, it's both." Maggie throws her a pointed look then chuckles. "Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD Science Division." She draws out her badge for a second then shoves it back in the back pocket of her jeans. "Showed you mine, now show me yours."

Alex reaches a hand back, presumably to grab her badge, but Maggie notes that her hand lingers a tad too long before she actually pulls it out in front of her.

"Alex Danvers. Secret Service."

And there it is, SECRET SERVICE plastered in bold on the ID, everything seeming to check out. Yet somehow, Maggie senses there's something off. Without hesitation, Maggie decides she should conduct her own investigation on the sly. She doesn't get far in forming a plan before Alex speaks up again.

"I see your wounds are healing nicely."

"Hm?" Maggie blinks, then catches herself. "Oh yes," she says, looking down at her arms to glance over her skin. "Thankfully I'm tan so it's not too obvious. Perks of being of-colour. What about you? Did you get hurt last night?" She tries to prolong the conversation to get as much information as possible. Strictly professional, she tells herself, but the way her eyes lock onto Alex's proves otherwise. It's worse when Maggie sees the spark of confusion in her eyes then a slight redness creeping into her cheeks, almost as if she's taken aback by Maggie's concern.

"No, no, I was, um, in one of the corners. Minimal damage." Her eyes dart away, breaking their eye contact. Shady, Maggie notes. She also notes that Alex was probably the only person out of tactical gear that made it out of the building unscathed. Like, not-a-single-scratch, unscathed. Dubious, Maggie thinks, and suddenly she feels like she should really stop flirting with this stranger.

"Do you guys know what happened with Supergirl and the other chick?"

"She fled. The other girl. Supergirl's fine, but the other girl got away. We've got no leads on how to find her. Anything on your end?"

She's surprised to see that Alex suddenly doesn't seem so strict on the whole 'it's _my_ crime scene' thing.

"No, nothing substantial. The girl was in and out. Quick and clean, didn't touch anything so no prints at all. She burned some of the stuff though," Maggie gestures towards the mess around the stage.

"From her position, we were all practically fish in a barrel. She could've killed hundreds of people last night, but she only fired at the stage. Clearly, she was aiming for the president."

"Shit aim," Maggie comments dryly.

Alex regards her with a raised brow.

"She left the last event the same way, crumbling everything to bits but never getting a clean shot at the president. Came damn close though."

"The last assassination attempt in New York. That was her, too?" Maggie asks, incredulous.

"She didn't show herself the last time, but the blasts are consistent with the ones from last night. It's got to be same girl." Alex opens her mouth like she's about say something more, but decides against it, looking like she's said too much already.

"So, can we count on this being a joined investigation with the feds?"

Alex seems only slightly apologetic when she declines.

"Sorry, this is the second assassination attempt since the president came into office. The court's not taking any chances with this one. Strictly federal jurisdiction. We've got the best people on this case, we're hoping to crack it soon."

"Wouldn't having some extra help only speed up the process?"

Alex smiles. "Thanks, but we've got it from here. Besides, the NCPD isn't exactly equipped to face off against bloodthirsty aliens. No offense."

"None taken. Well, have your people contact our people and when the boss gives the word, we'll lay right off."

"Will do. Thanks for the help, though."

Maggie can't decide if it's just her own wishful thinking, but Alex doesn't seem to want the conversation to end either. She looks at Maggie expectantly, as if waiting for Maggie to drag it out longer. Maggie doesn't.

"Don't mention it. See you around, Danvers."

She sees Alex's face fall from the corner of her eye as she turns away, making her way back to the car. The officers huddled around it are waiting for her.

"Ma'am, we've received several people coming forward with claims that they saw the attacker's appearance. They are willing to sit down with a composite sketch artist."

"Great, get it arranged. At least we'll have something more tangible to chase if we can ID the attacker. For now let's get back to base."

"Yes ma'am."

She thinks about buying a bike on the drive back. Maybe a KTM or a Triumph. She'd hate to bother these boys to drive her around from case to case every single day. An apartment too, because she can't possibly hole up in a hotel for the rest of eternity. She decides to start the search tonight. Bike first, because priorities.

When they get back to the precinct, the sergeant's sitting at his desk, waiting for an update. She knocks before entering to be polite, though no one cares for that shit back in Gotham.

"May I come in, sir?"

"Detective Sawyer. Yes, take a seat. Find any leads?"

"The guys spoke to a couple of eyewitnesses and are arranging for them to meet with a sketch artist so we can hopefully ID the attacker. Forensics found holes burned into everything around the stage. Whatever blast the girl was shooting out, the burn marks were similar to those from a laser. High energy, destructive stuff. Lethal."

"Okay, work on putting a face to this mystery lady first. Hopefully that'll open up more doors."

"Copy that. Oh yes sergeant, secret service was on the scene. They showed up and demanded full reign. Do we continue investigating?"

"We have no official order to step down yet so until we do, it's business as usual."

"Yes sir."

"Good work, Detective."

"Thank you, sir."

Maggie leaves, plopping down at her desk. She takes a deep breath then gets straight back to work. Scribbling on her notepad the 5Ws and 1H to kick start the gears in her brain, she starts to wonder. _Who_ is this girl? Or more like, _what_ is she? _Where_ did she come from? _Why_ is she trying to kill the president? _When_ will she strike again? She jolts in her seat when the next question comes to mind. 

_How_ has there been no sighting of her before?

For Pete's sake, the girl fucking glows. Even on the street she'd be the center of attention. So Maggie boots up the PC and hastily sifts between databases and search engines, pulling up any articles that could have even the slightest of connections with the case. Alien or metahuman, is really the question. She shuts her eyes to take herself back to the night before. The way the girl gleamed against the night sky, how her skin seemed to glisten like the stars. Maggie follows her gut, alien, and filters through the more absurd articles. After all, if it's any indication by the aliens they already do know, those guys always have the craziest origin story.

Man who transforms into walking silhouette of light spotted in Albuquerque raiding a bank. Arrested. Next.  
Stephanie Cordelle, 32, able to shoot light rays from palms. Detained. Next.  
A high school teacher capable of absorbing photons turns himself into human bomb. Killed on sight by Superman.

Maggie sighs. These are all wrong. The president's attacker wasn't a flying torchlight. The light she emitted wasn't harsh and blinding; if anything, it was soft and dim. Opalescent, like the milky way.

Maggie compiles the articles into a neat stack once she's done looking through the last one. Nothing at all. She hums to herself, deep in thought. Since there's been no official reported sighting of the opal girl, maybe she has a way to conceal her identity. A shape-shifter, perhaps. Until they get more evidence, it's all just speculation. They'll never get anywhere with the little they have right now, Maggie huffs.

"Sawyer," a lady taps on her desk to get her attention.

"Oh sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a second there. Yes?"

"I'm Karen," the brunette offers a hand.

"Oh yeah, Mirallegro right?" Maggie takes her hand and gives a firm shake.

"That's right. Well I just wanted to remind you that, y'know, we get off at six round here, in case it slipped your mind or something." She points at the clock hanging on the wall while she says this, smiling all the while. The clock reads 6:17pm. 

"Oh god," Maggie laughs, "like I said, I must've been really lost in my thoughts back there."

"Well, glad to see you're already getting into the groove of working here. We've heard a lot about you. Don't ask, word just spreads, but we're lucky to have you on the team. God knows we could use all the help we can get, what with all these extraterrestrials running around these days."

"Tell me about it," Maggie says with a knowing shake of her head, "anyway, thanks for heads up. I'll just pack up before I head out."

"Yeah okay, see you tomorrow."

"Catch you later, Karen."

\---

It's pouring by the time Maggie finishes showering. She unlocks the hotel safe in her room and pulls out her laptop, starting her search for the perfect bike from bed. It's not too long before she finds it.

"This looks promising... Good speed, nice body. Sounds perfect."

Just like that, she settles on the Triumph Bonneville, planning to pick one out during lunch the next day. Almost as if on cue, her doorbell rings and she hears a muffled shout of 'room service!' from the other side of the door. She thanks and pays the staff before crawling back into bed with her smoked salmon ciabatta sandwich. Her tummy twists in anticipation, punishing her for missing lunch in favour of working the case. She combs through the web for apartments next, and finds a beautiful one not too far from the precinct. Maggie feels happy. Happy that everything is finally starting to fall into place; happy that she can actually live in a decent place this time because there are legitimately gazillions of people wealthier than her in National City. Gotham was different. Being a good cop meant criminals were already lining up for the chance to gut her, but being rich meant everyone else would join the line too, including the very people working in the same department as her. To avoid turning into food for the sharks, Maggie had to keep it on the down low all those years. She's certainly not planning to flaunt it here either, but hey, a nice ride and a clean space isn't too much to ask for right?

The time at the bottom right corner of the screen tells her it's still slightly early for bed but she shuts the notebook anyway, turning off the lights and scurrying under the covers. Maggie can't help it when her mind drifts back to the president's assassination attempt. She picks up right where she left off when Karen stopped her train of thought, because she's Maggie Sawyer and her brain works in one systematic fluid motion. It's one of her best qualities as a detective.

"We need more evidence," she says to herself in the dark. It's when she's teetering on the edge of sleep that an idea sparks. A crazy idea, but it could actually work. The classic bait and snag routine. After all, a man with a motive is a man that is weak. Or in this case, girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Maggie, but things will get better, I promise.

"What're you on about, Sawyer?"

It's the next morning and Maggie's trying to pitch the plan she cracked in her head the previous night.

"We stage another event, draw the attacker out and try to engage her again."

"God, Sawyer, are you even listening to yourself?" A pause. "Have you done the risk assessment? It's _colossal_ , in case you haven't realized. Even if we filled the entire event with undercovers and she buys it, the next building she blows up could result in fatalities. And who's to say she'd just stop at destroying the building this time? If, I mean _when_ , she catches on that it's a trap, she could vaporize everything and everyone standing in her way. And that's just talking about the boots we'll have on the ground, we haven't even gotten to collateral yet."

"I understand, sir, but with the little evidence we have, there's really not much we can do in terms of the investigation. I've done some solid digging and this girl never appears, ever, until the president does. That's the one edge we have: we know exactly what she's after. The next encounter we have with her can either be at least vaguely in our control at a fake council meeting, or completely unexpected, at a very real, very critical presidential rally." The captain sighs, and Maggie knows he knows she's right. "We'll be prepared for her this time. Now that we know she flies, we can assign men on the roof and snipers in the surrounding buildings for an ambush. They give the word the second they spot her and those in the building can duck for cover or run to fight. As for collateral, we can set up undercover pedestrians too, get them to divert people to safety without tipping off the target."

He regards her with contemplative silence that seemed to drag for an eternity.

"You really thought this through, huh?" the captain asks finally.

"I really don't see another way, captain. And we're on quite the clock here. The next attempt could take place at anytime and at any place the president shows her face. God knows the girl won't miss forever."

The captain sighs loudly, shoulders slumped forward in defeat. "Fine. I'll run this by the chief and we'll see if it gets the green light. Don't get your hopes up though, it's still an extremely high-risk operation."

"Yes sir," Maggie nods, "oh, but if we're going through with this, we might want to pull in the feds. The secret service agent I spoke with the other day mentioned they've got better equipment to deal with this sort of thing."

"An operation on that kind of scale? If the president agrees to the plan, I'm sure it'll be all hands on deck and do or die. They'll get the best out here, that's for sure."

"Great, if it goes through, we'll need all the help we can get."

"I'll let you know if this idea of yours gets anywhere, but in the meantime, continue looking into what you can. Like you said, we're on a clock here."

"Yes sir."

\---

As Maggie sinks into her comfy desk chair, she reaches for a pen. Switching up between tapping it against the back of her hand and twirling it between her fingers, she stares into space and starts to think. Weaknesses. How could they possibly hope to subdue this alien girl without knowing her Achilles heel? Does she even have one? Maybe they could get Supergirl or Superman in on the plan too, even the fight a little. Something clicks in Maggie and she recalls a short but undeniable comment Alex Danvers made the last time they spoke.

_'Do you guys know what happened with Supergirl and the other chick?'_

_'She fled. The other girl. Supergirl's fine, but the other girl got away._

It's weird, the way she phrases her words and talks about Supergirl. She sounds so sure about her being fine, it's almost as if she had some sort of insider information or contact with the Girl of Steel herself. Maggie makes a split second decision and punches in the name Alex Danvers into the system. It's not a surprise when nothing turns up even after an hour of searching and cracking basic codes. She'll need to get help on this.

"Hey Karen?" she calls over her shoulder to address the brunette leaning against the printer, who's clearly waiting for her print job to be done.

"Yeah?"

"Who's the best IT guy we have here? I need something looked into."

She thinks for a bit. "Ah, you're looking for Marrow, and _she's_ our best IT _girl_."

"Oh, of course she is. Where can I find her?"

"Take a left out this door. IT department's straight down the corridor, first door on the right."

"Great, thanks."

Maggie finds her way easily. The huge IT DEPARTMENT sign on the glass door helped too. It's a much bigger space than she expected, lots of big screens and chunky machines the IT people seemed to shuffle between.

"Hi, sorry to bother you but is Marrow here?" Maggie asks the girl standing nearest to her who has her eyes fixed on one of the monitors . She barely looks twenty, and has white, plastic-framed glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, blonde orange-streaked hair pulled into a messy bun atop her head. The girl tilts her head towards Maggie slightly, brow raised but eyes twinkling.

"In the flesh," the girl grins and extends a hand enthusiastically, "you're the new detective on the assassination case, aren't you? Nice to meetcha! I'm June, but everyone just calls me Marrow."

"Yes I am. Pleasure's all mine, I hear you're the best at what you do round here."

"Well, yes, but shh! Don't say it too loud. The others will get jealous." She giggles then winks, and Maggie can't help but chuckle at the girl's silliness. "So what can I do ya for, Detective?"

"I need help looking into a name. Alex Danvers. Possibly secret service, but I need more details about her and I can't seem to get them from any of our general databases."

"Ah, I see. Well I'll hop straight into it! Anything you want me to look out for in particular?"

"Nothing in particular, just pull whatever you can on her and call me over when you're done?"

"Yes, ma'am." June stiffens and gives her a mock salute which has Maggie shaking her head, laughing. This girl and her silly antics.

"Catch you later, Marrow." Maggie throws back, already halfway out the door.

"Bye, Maggie!" June yells, pitch too high and tone too excited for any normal person, both hands waving - more like flapping - over her head.

Maggie chuckles. It's the first time someone's used her first name since she started work here. Already, Maggie feels like she's got a little sister in the office. A little _she-devil_ sister. When she makes it back to her seat, Karen is waiting by her desk, lips curved in a playful grin.

"So, met Marrow?"

"You could've warned me."

"Oh come on, she's a cutie!"

"Uh huh, for sure," Maggie adds an eye roll for good measure. "Is she always like that?"

"Like what?"

"You know, so... Ray-of-sunshine-y."

Karen snorts a laugh. "Yes, always. She's pretty new to us too actually. Skipped a couple years of college and recommended by her professors to us before she even got to graduation. She's a real prodigy, we're lucky to have her. Came in just four months ago and already the lil baby of the family."

"So she's the youngest around here?"

"Yeah, seventeen going on eighteen, so she probably skipped a couple years of high school too. Kids these days, honestly."

Maggie laughs. " _Genius_ kids these days, you mean."

"If only I could've done what she did and sped through high school. Worst time of my life." Karen mutters, leaving to walk back to her desk in a sulk.

\---

Lunch comes all too soon and Maggie doesn't miss it this time, dropping everything to Uber to the motor shop a couple blocks away. It's small, but lined with rows and rows of newly-polished, high-end motorcycles. She catches a whiff of the strong smell of gasoline the minute she steps out of the car and grins. All too familiar.

"Hi there, young lady. Help you with anything?" The elderly mechanic strolls over, wiping the grease off his hands with an already heavily-stained white cloth.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a Triumph Bonneville. You sell those?" Maggie peers around while asking.

"A couple. Mostly blacks." The man gestures towards a handful of bikes a little further back.

"Just what I need," Maggie says, walking over to check them out. She spends close to two hours going over the Triumph, making sure every part's in perfect working order and even taking it for a short test run out back of the shop before she settles. Maggie's never been one to drag out a decision, almost always knowing exactly what she wants and how she wants it. "I'll take it," she says, and that's that.

She laughs out loud as she speeds through the city (at a perfectly legal pace of course), and feels the wind rushing past. God, she missed this. Being at the forefront of the wheel, she could finally get a real, proper look at the traffic in National City. It's crazy how much it seemed like the whole city was cheering for her, spurring her on, though she knows it's all in her head. The loud, bustling road junctions filled with cars and bikes racing to their destinations, people brisk-walking across with coffee in one hand and a phone in the other, pinned to their ear. It's worlds apart from the quiet, almost judgmental streets of Gotham, where even the slightest purr of her engine drew frowns of disapproval. It was almost as if they expected everyone to conform to the building of this silent, stone-cold world. It was dark, and dull, and lifeless, and more often than not, an eerily dangerous place to live in.

When Maggie makes it back to the precinct, she's hardly lowered her ass to meet the chair when incoming bounds in.

"Maggie!" June squeals, gaining the attention of every person in the room.

"Dammit, Marrow, keep it down." The guy Maggie vaguely remembers as Fletcher sighs.

"Marrow..." Karen groans under her breath.

"Geez, lighten up guys. I'm just here to see Maggie." She beams when she catches Maggie's eye.

"Yes?"

"I did what you asked."

"And...?"

"Nothing came up. The girl's a ghost. She's not in any system, secret service, FBI, I checked them all. Or at least whatever they've granted us access to, _and a little more if we're being honest_." She whispers the last part so only Maggie hears, eliciting an eye roll from her.

"Okay, so apart from you _breaking the law_ , did you find anything else I can actually use?"

June goes quiet immediately. "You wouldn't tell..."

"About you hacking the feds? Well," Maggie shrugs, "depends on my mood I guess."

"Maggie!" she pouts, and it's possibly the cutest yet most annoying thing in life. "Promise you won't tell. Please? I _like_ working here." She whines, squatting next to Maggie's desk chair, both hands gripping the arm of the chair and shaking it slightly, shaking Maggie in turn.

"I'm kidding, Marrow, of course I won't tell." Maggie ruffles her hair playfully. "Now, do you have anything else for me? Or did you just come here to disappoint then bug me. In that specific order."

She hooks her arms around Maggie's right arm, the one closest to her, and pulls, the wheels of Maggie's chair sliding to bring her closer. She ignores the way Maggie's brow raises suspiciously and leans her chin against her arm, looking up at her with big, bright eyes.

"Mm... From what I see, there are two possibilities. Either she lied about being secret service, or she’s top of the food chain and they’ve opted to keep her off the general books and in a secret system. If that’s the case, there’s not much I can do without getting arrested for trespassing."

“It’s okay, kid. I don’t want you thrown into federal prison over this. I'll find another way."

"Maybe you can seduce her." Marrow remarks casually, still looking at Maggie with those innocent doe eyes.

Maggie quirks an eyebrow. "That obvious?"

"I might have peeked into Gotham PD's system and pulled your records. I think it's cute that you like girls."

"Cute?" If it was anyone else, she'd probably be insulted, but Maggie knows there's no real judgment behind June's words.

"I don't know. Now that I've met you, I don't think I could picture you with a guy, really." She shrugs. "Do you think it could work? Seducing her I mean."

"Alex Danvers? I mean, I don't know. If she's gutsy enough to pass off as secret service, or is somehow an actual high-ranking official, she'd likely be a tough one to trick into catching feelings." She says that, but Maggie can't help remembering the lingering warmth of Alex's hand on the small of her back, her tentative glances and the slight flush to her cheeks every time Maggie passes her a casual tease.

"From what I've read, you've done plenty of undercover work yourself. High level targets, too! Besides, if you had enough suspicion about her to come to me, don't you think you owe it to your gut to get some answers?"

Maggie can only stare at the younger lady. Where did this maturity and seriousness come from?

"You're right."

"Of course I am!" June grins, her playful side on full view again, "also, I have to get back to work because the capt'n has me looking into a potential building for Operation Chameleon. He told me it was your idea so I figured you'd want to know."

"The fake event to draw out glitter girl?"

"That's the one! I'm excited, it's like a little ambush. Don't you think she might be really terrified, though? From the traffic cam footage we analyzed, she doesn't seem very big at all, maybe even younger than me with how petite she is."

"She should've thought about that before trying to annihilate the president. Anyway, she's probably just small, Marrow. Don't be fooled by her size, she's dangerous."

June only hums absentmindedly, not quite fully in agreement with Maggie.

"No luck on facial rec though," she continues, "the glow was too much for us to catch a proper image. We still have no way to ascertain anything about her."

"Why would that alien girl even want to hurt the president? Last time I checked, she's pro-alien. The girl ought to be at the very least, indifferent, if not appreciative."

"It's not uncommon for kids to hate adults, Maggie." Marrow sticks her tongue out at Maggie and Maggie rolls her eyes.

"I somehow suspect this goes beyond just petty disdain for authority figures."

June huffs, lifting her chin from Maggie's arm and getting back on her feet. "Well, with any luck, Operation Chameleon will stop the assassination attempts. Alex Danvers, though, is a whole different thing. Between the two of us, the stunning lack of anything concrete about her anywhere is a little over the top, even for the feds. From an approved and authorized official system like ours, it shouldn't be impossible to at least get a name for confirmation, but there's literally nothing. I've only been here a couple months, but I've never not been able to at least get the basic name and age of a target. Kind of frustrating, actually."

Maggie laughs a little at the dejected girl, feeling only a little bad for it. "Chin up, lil one. I'll see what I can do if I ever bump into her again."

The captain disrupts their conversation, seemingly in a rush. "Sawyer. I need you back at The Mandela, stat. Our guys found something. Hurry, chief says we're close to losing jurisdiction to the feds."

"Yes sir," Maggie almost jumps out of her chair, rushing off.

\---

Her Triumph gets her there in half the time the lousy cop car took the first time.

"Hey guys, boss says you've got something for me?" she asks as she approaches the NCPD forensics team huddled at the side.

"Hi Detective. Indeed we do. I don't know how we missed this the first time round, but I guess we're more used to looking out for things already present, rather than looking for things that aren't."

"What do you mean? The girl took something during the attack?"

"A couple hundred somethings, to be exact. Bullets."

"Bullets?"

"Yeah," Jeffrey, the head of the forensics team, leads her into the broken building, "on the night of the attack, NCPD fired countless rounds at the assailant. Especially since she was in the air and there was little possibility of accidentally hitting civilians, gunfire should've been even heavier than usual. AKA, twice the bullets. Now, as you can see," he gestures to the ground around them, "there are shell casings everywhere. Consistent with the heavy fire from the attack. What's odd though, is the stunning _lack_ of actual bullets, save for a few we found under the glass. By our trajectory and the statements of a few undercover agents present that night, the target was," he twists his hands against each other and squints up at the sky, "almost directly above, in the center of the space." Maggie nods, remembering the girl indeed was.

"She was in the most open, vulnerable position possible," Maggie notes.

"Exactly. For trained agents like yourself, not too difficult a mark at all. No doubt, we'd expect the bullets to hit, but clearly, the absence of any significant pool of blood from multiple gunshot wounds tells us otherwise. So, there's two possible scenarios. First, the target was too high up, the standard-issue NCPD guns don't have a firing range big enough to reach her. Being directly above, the line of fire should have meant that those unsuccessful shots, or at least majority of them, would have resulted in bullets free-falling back down into this exact space after they reached their maximum distance. There's far too few bullets here for that to be true, so we have to assume the bullets did hit the mark. Yet, there isn't the slightest indication that the girl had been wounded at all."

Maggie frowns, coming to the conclusion before Jeffrey even says it.

"We suspect that she's not only bulletproof, like Supergirl, but can actually create some kind of forcefield around herself, and this forcefield vaporized the bullets." Jeffrey finishes with a clap, seemingly proud of his little presentation.

"Oh geez," Maggie groans, "it's bad enough this girl's got magic fire shooting out of her hands, now she's indestructible too?"

"Not indestructible, just powerful. If we can find a way to catch her off guard, we might be able to take her down before she has her wards up."

"Sounds easy enough," Maggie comments sarcastically, but thanks Jeffrey and his team for their hard work anyway. She's about to leave when she catches a glimpse of red in the corner of her eye. No way. Sure enough, a full turn tells her it's Alex Danvers, in the flesh, talking to two men dressed very much like the NCPD forensics team, but not.

"Danvers." She greets as she walks over.

"Oh, hi Maggie," she seems to catch herself at that, hurrying to ask, "or would you prefer Detective Sawyer? Sorry if that wasn't appropriate."

"No, Maggie's fine," Maggie holds back a grin but remembers her talk with Marrow and decides to let it show. Alex seems to relax at seeing her smile, responding in like.

"So, why're you back down here?"

"Doing the last bit of investigation before we hand over jurisdiction to the feds," Maggie shrugs, and almost chuckles at how guilty Alex looks.

"Sorry, we don't mean to be intrusive. Orders from the top, is all." 

"No, of course not. I totally understand." The voice of June saying _seduce her_ , echoes at the back of her mind, and Maggie's speaking before she can hold herself back, "I was just looking forward to having a pretty lady to partner up with."

Alex blinks.

"Little disappointed, is all." Maggie mimics, an undeniable tease to her tone.

The blush on Alex is so deep, one would think that all it would take is another word from Maggie for her face to be the same shade as her hair. As flustered as Alex is, she seems to get enough of a grip on herself to blurt out the most unexpected thing.

"We could get a drink?" It sounds more like a statement to convince herself than an actual question for Maggie, and Maggie laughs.

"I meant partnering up for _work_ , Danvers."

"I know, I know, I just meant..." She trails awkwardly, and Maggie laughs again, dimples showing through.

"I'm just messing with you," Maggie grins, "I'd love to."

"Love to?" Alex can't think properly.

"Get drunk with you."

 _On you_ , Maggie thinks, but stops herself short. Controlled flirting, Maggie, don't scare her away, she reminds herself.

It's good that she does, because Alex is quite nearly over the edge as is, trying her best to stay calm.

"Right... Right. How about tonight?"

Maggie pretends to think, and Alex waits with bated breath, not pushing at all.

"Sounds good," Maggie finally says, and it's with that finality that both women recognize the dry electricity that's crackling in the air between them, building this unexplainable tension. Maggie breaks it by taking a step back, reminding herself this woman's likely not who she says she is.

"You'll have to choose the place though, I'm new to town."

"You are? Oh, um... There's a nice bar along Patton Alley. It's in a small corner. I can send you the address..."

Maggie smirks, "is that your way of asking for my number, Danvers?"

Alex's eyes dart away before flitting back to Maggie's, shy but indignant, refusing to back down. "What if it is?"

Maggie takes her hand, biting her lip when she feels it trembling. She doesn't realize that Alex does the same, watching her in anticipation. Maggie scribbles down the digits onto Alex's palm, and the ink that should feel so cool against her skin, feels hot from the burn of Maggie's touch.

"Tonight, Danvers." Maggie grins, letting go and turning on her heels, making her way back to her bike. Alex stares, not quite comprehending what just happened.

\---

She's still on her bike on the way back to the precinct when Maggie feels her phone buzz in her pocket. Maggie grips the handles tighter to suppress the butterflies in her tummy. Without Alex within arms length, she's clear-headed enough to know she shouldn't feel this way. If she'd met the woman under any, literally _any_ other circumstance, she'd count herself lucky to have her fate entwined so coincidentally with such an intriguing lady. Not now though, not when she knows Alex's identity and motives are big fat question marks still to be uncovered.

She recounts what Jeffrey told her to the sergeant, since the captain was nowhere to be found, and tries to fix her focus back on the case for the last few hours of work before it's six and it's time to leave again. It's a nice evening, sun starting to go down, when she rides out the gates of the station. Dinner? She forgoes the thought when she remembers her appointment with the real estate agent. It's just these first few weeks, she tells her stomach. I'll get better at feeding you, she promises.

"Hi, you must be Maggie!" the agent greets warmly, "I'm Jennifer Kingsley, pleasure to meet you."

"Hi Jennifer, nice to meet you too. So, this is it?" Maggie eyes the simple mostly-white building towering behind the brunette after giving her a smile. It looks beautiful from the outside, a little industrial, a little laid back, nothing flashy, just the way Maggie likes it.

"Yes, are you ready to head inside to have a look?"

"Definitely."

They begin the tour of the apartment with Maggie feeling excited, but exhausted from a full day of work. When they're halfway through, Maggie's only thought is how badly she wishes she lived here. By the end, Maggie's head over heels and saying yes. It's got plenty of wide, open space, the prettiest wooden cabinets, and a nice touch of marble thrown into the mix, but it's the balcony that really buys her over. Being from Nebraska, she was always surrounded by nature growing up. Moving to Gotham changed all that, as she quickly discovered that Gotham didn't quite do _colour_ , or _life_ , or even _happy_. In her new apartment, she'd love to tend and grow a nice little garden. Not to remind her of home, god no, but to remind her of her late aunt, who'd been a better parent to her than both of her actual birth-givers combined. She whispers a silent prayer to her aunt when Jennifer walks over to the kitchen island to lay out the documents Maggie would have to sign to buy the apartment. Maggie does everything she's told, and sets the next appointment with Jennifer to settle the last of the house-buying matters. If all goes as planned, she'll have the place in just a week, since the renovation has already been completed.

"Thanks Jennifer, see you!" Maggie waves with one hand and uses the other to slide the face shield of her motorcycle helmet down. She sees the woman wave back, then revs up her engine, racing down to the address Alex had sent her. She has to stop several times to check Google Maps before she finally finds the place, already ten minutes late. Dammit, Sawyer, on the first date? No, not a date, she huffs, straightening her top before walking into the bar.

It's bigger than she expected but she spots Alex at the counter immediately.

"Hey, I'm so sorry," she rushes to explain as she approaches Alex from the back, placing a hand on her shoulder. She's surprised to find Alex jerk almost violently, away from her touch.

"Oh, it's you!" she says in relief, the tension melting from her shoulders instantly.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Didn't mean to be late too," Maggie sighs, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"It's no problem at all, really. Held up by work?" Alex asks as she pulls the barstool out for Maggie. The gesture, though small, was so considerate that Maggie couldn't help but smile.

"Just bought an apartment, actually." Maggie settles in the seat and orders a whiskey, rocks, before turning her attention back to Alex.

"Right, right, you said you're new to National City?"

"Yeah, like two-days-new kind of new."

"Wow, really?" Alex raises both brows in surprise. "Two days... Wouldn't that mean the state dinner was your first night in town?"

"Spot on."

"Damn. Some first night, huh?"

The ease with which Alex carries herself here as opposed to back at The Mandela doesn't go unnoticed by Maggie. She wonders how many glasses of liquor Alex had before she arrived.

"You could say that again. First time seeing an alien in person. Well, _two_ aliens, including Supergirl."

She doesn't miss the way Alex's shoulders stiffen ever so slightly at the mere mention of Supergirl, either. 

"Yeah, hell of a city." Alex grins, bringing her glass to her lips and taking a sip of the amber liquid. "Where did you come from?"

"Gotham," Maggie says, the customary edge of disdain returning to her voice, as it does whenever she talk about that city. She can't decide whether Alex looks appalled or amazed. "Got transferred here after years of absolute misery."

Alex laughs, "I've heard terrible things about the place, especially Arkham. It's really that bad?"

"Worse, I guarantee. Arkham's shit, but even in the city itself, almost everyone's awful."

"You're all right." Alex doesn't even hesitate.

"I said _almost_ everyone." Maggie smirks, watching the creeping redness in Alex's cheeks. So teasing still works when she's drunk, good to know. "So, are you stationed in National City permanently? Or are you here just for the case?" Maggie takes a big sip, swirling the whiskey around her tongue before taking it in.

"I'm here, always."

Maggie smiles. It's partly the alcohol talking, but Maggie loves the way Alex says that.

"Nice to know." Maggie says softly, nodding. They're letting their emotions go too far, too fast, but neither puts a hand out to stop it. A comfortable quiet settles between them as they sip from their glasses, looking anywhere but at each other. They should talk, they know. Laugh and joke and tease, keeping it at fun and games. Silence only intensifies feelings and makes things real. And Maggie knows 'real' isn't something Alex Danvers is with her. So the deceived downs the entire glass in her hand, and calls for another. Maggie wills the alcohol to shut down her emotions, and it somehow works. She laughs out loud a hundred more times that night, and it's fun, so _fucking_ fun, she tells herself. She manages to keep any further sentimental silences at bay, turning back to easy flirting the instant she feels the slightest tension building. They talk about themselves all night, but a nagging at the back of Maggie's mind makes her doubt every single thing Alex says. Maggie plays it off well though, she's good at hiding her frustration like that. She might be good at covering it up, but everybody's got a limit for tolerating lies. It's worse that she can't get through it by getting wasted, because she's riding back to her hotel. It's a little past midnight when Maggie's had enough.

"Hey, it's late. I should probably get back to catch some shut eye or I'll never be able to wake up in time for work tomorrow."

Alex's still in the middle of a laugh when she pauses to glance at her watch. "Oh, wow. It _is_ late."

"Yeah, it is," Maggie pushes herself off the seat and draws a few bills out to cover her drinks.

"Well, I had fun tonight," Alex says awkwardly after getting to her feet too, her nervous tone making Maggie look up at her. Oh god, the silence, the eye contact, the electricity. Maggie blinks it away.

"Me too," she says, walking to the door, Alex right behind.

"Any chance we could do this again sometime?" Alex asks hesitantly, uneasy at the sudden hostility of Maggie. Maybe she's just tired, Alex tells herself.

Maggie's about to say no, but she realizes she's hardly gotten anything concrete about who this woman really is. So she agrees, but asks for lunch instead. She doesn't think she can handle another night of booze and Alex Danvers. It's got to be one or the other.

"Okay, lunch works. Tomorrow?" Alex asks, full of hope, and Maggie makes the mistake of catching her eye again.

"Sure," she sighs, and puts on her helmet. "See you tomorrow, Danvers."

"See you, Maggie." Alex mutters softly as Maggie mounts her bike, and it almost hurts Maggie to speed off, leaving the redhead standing alone in the dark alleyway, dimly lit only by the faltering neon sign above the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurt to write parts of this chapter. Enjoy, and I'd love to hear what you think!

"Morning, Maggie!" 

Maggie doesn't even need to look up to know it's June. She sighs, knowing the girl doesn't deserve to be shot down just because she's cheery and Maggie isn't.

"Morning, sunshine." She intends for it to be sarcastic, but smiles when she realizes how apt the term really is.

June giggles, and Maggie feels the weight lift off her shoulders slightly. Happiness really is contagious in this city.

"What's got you in such a good mood? More than usual, I mean."

"Didn't you hear? I think the captain's coming to tell you about it anytime now."

"Tell me what?"

"About Operation Chameleon! I found a building that belongs to the state which could be big enough to hold the mock convention, and Fletcher came up with a perfect excuse for the event. Since the president didn't get to finish even half of her speech at the state dinner, we could propose that she'll be holding a rally to make up for it. Just for her to get the words she wanted to get out there, so it'll just be reporters, well fake reporters, and the president herself. No delegates this time, so the other countries don't have to get involved and we don't have to consider possible conflicting schedules. The captain's going over the plan with the chief later on. If all goes well, he'll take it higher up until it reaches the secretary of defense, then the president herself. Captain says it'll still be a couple weeks until it actually gets approved, if it even does get approved, but at least it's a step up from nothing!"

It's music to Maggie's tired, tired ears and she grins despite the lack of sleep, allowing herself to be enveloped in Marrow's tight hug.

"I'm so happy your plan's getting pitched! I hope they go through with it."

"Thanks, kid. I hope they go through with what works, before it's too late."

Marrow pouts, doesn't want to even entertain the thought of a successful assassination attempt. She pushes two hands against the hard wood of Maggie's desk and props her butt on the edge, swinging her legs.

"Don't you have an IT department to run?"

"I finished two hours of work in the past half hour. If I stick there all the time, the rest won't have anything to do."

"Someone's real smug, aren't they?" Maggie teases.

June grins, but for the first time, Maggie sees her brows furrow slightly and shoulders sag in a way that could only be caused by a sigh.

"You okay, June?"

The girl looks up from the ground and straight at Maggie, expression blank and completely unreadable.

"What did you call me?"

"Uh, June? That's your name, isn't it?"

She shakes her head like she's trying to snap herself out of something.

"Yeah it is. I'm just being silly," she laughs, light and feathery, and Maggie almost believes it. "So, now that Chameleon's more or less out of our hands, what are you planning to do about Alex Danvers?"

The very mention of her induces a deep sigh from within Maggie.

"I'm having lunch with her later. I don't really know what I'm doing, to be honest. I don't have an actual plan."

"Good. I don't think you should." June straightens out her legs in mid-air, trying to touch her toes. "I mean, if she's as smart as you say she is, she'll have you figured out lickety-split. I think it's better to just be natural about it. Don't give her anything to be suspicious about. After all, I'm sure even she enjoys getting to know new people."

"She's a liar, Marrow."

"Probably, but not everyone who lies is bad right? Benefit of the doubt. She could be a really decent person who just happens to have a really big secret. Unless she's going to be more than an acquaintance to you, there's no harm in just talking to her. We don't have to be completely upfront and honest with people we're not going to have lasting relationships with." There's a strange hollow in her voice when she speaks.

June speaks in riddles but Maggie gets the gist of it, and despite the disappointment with what she says, Maggie realizes it's true. How could she expect Alex to be entirely honest with her when they'd only just met? Maybe she had a good reason for concealing her true identity and would reveal it once they just grew a little closer. Trust has to be nurtured, Maggie reminds herself.

"You're right. I'll just take it as making a new friend. If she dares to pass off as secret service and even asks me out knowing I'm a cop, she can't be evil, right? No evil person would be dumb enough to pretend to be a fed and stick around for days after, much less get close to law enforcement."

"Mhm, but just in case, would you let me take your phone for an hour? I can install a software that allows you to punch in a specific code when you're in trouble. It'll dial straight to our emergency hot line and the call can be monitored and tracked. Just in case."

"Wait, you can do that?"

She nods, reaching her hand out to accept the phone from Maggie.

"We don't do it for every officer though, because we're afraid people might abuse it, and the more jammed the hot lines are, the more likely we'll miss important calls from the actual people of National City."

"Right, of course. Thanks kid, I owe you one."

"Don't be silly, it's no problem at all."

June doesn't say it, but she hopes her actions show it enough. She likes Maggie, not in the romantic kind of way, but because Maggie really genuinely cares for her. Nobody's called her by her first name in this precinct before, or even asked her how she feels. Everyone just assumes she's this happy-go-lucky kid who doesn't have a care in the world. It's not true at all. For the most part, she can't blame them since it's how she puts herself across, but Maggie's the first person to care enough to look past the facade and she's grateful for it.

"Can you get it back to me by ten?"

"Definitely," June grins, "wouldn't want you to miss your little date."

Maggie doesn't have time to smack her in the arm before she's out the door, sprinting back to the IT department in a fit of giggles.

\---

Her screen flashes right after June hands it back to her.

_From: Alex  
Is lunch still on?_

Maggie types a quick _yes_ back, realizing they haven't confirmed the time or the place yet. She'd been far too confused to contact Alex up until the conversation she had with June about it this morning. Her phone buzzes again.

_From: Alex  
Noon? At Noonan's?_

_From: Maggie  
Geez, you guys have one here too? Please tell me it's not a criminal hot-spot like it is back in Gotham..._

_From: Alex  
God, no. It's a normal, everyday bar  & grill with the best coffee in the city._

_From: Maggie  
You had me at coffee._

_From: Alex  
You and me both. See you in a bit._

Maggie takes a ride down to another crime scene and makes it back to fill in some paperwork before it's time for her to leave for lunch. Thankfully, the Noonan's in this city isn't too far from the station, and isn't secluded like the bar was last night. Maggie finds her way there easily and reaches before Alex this time. She's brought to a cozy little table in the corner of the restaurant when she sees Alex strolling in. She's in a black pantsuit and has an expensive looking tote bag slung over her right shoulder, a far cry from the casual jeans and t-shirt she was sporting just the night before.

"Wow. Looking good, Danvers." Maggie smirks as she takes her seat.

Alex grins in response. "Just came from a conference. What're you having?"

"I was thinking pasta, what about you?"

"Mac & cheese. Ultimate comfort food after a long day of work."

"It's the middle of the day."

"After that conference, I deserve for it to be the end of the day." Alex waves the waitress over.

"Hey, Alex." The woman greets. "What can I get you two today?"

"Mac & cheese for me. Oh, and black coffee, two sugars."

The waitress grins at Alex. "And for you?" she asks directing her attention to Maggie.

"The lasagna, please, and a flat white."

"Coming right up." The waitress leaves, and Maggie smirks.

"First name basis, nice. I take it you're a regular?"

"Best coffee in town," Alex shrugs. "It changes you, trust me."

Maggie scoffs.

"So, Alex-ander, tell me about your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

It's Alex's turn to scoff.

"Ha-ha, very funny. That was actually one of my favourite books when I was a kid. I remember reading it to my sister before bed every night for a month straight."

She's surprised at the first mention of Alex's family since they'd started talking.

"Younger sister?"

"Yeah, she's adopted."

"Oh, that's neat. I've always wanted a sibling, always wished my parents would adopt another kid when I was little."

"Little-r?" Alex teases.

"Shut up, Danvers." Maggie grumbles, kicking out at Alex's foot and getting a laugh out of her.

"Well, to answer your question, my day's actually not been too bad. I might've exaggerated about how awful the conference was." The waitress from before returns with their drinks and sets them on the table. "I mean, it was a draggy, boring thing but all I really had to do was sit in the crowd and nod."

"Yeah? I pegged you for a girl who would actually like these kind of official things. Looking the way you do in that pantsuit, you'd be a shoo-in for sexiest lady on congress." Maggie flirts, half genuine, half trying to bring down Alex's walls so that she can catch her tripping up. Alex coughs and splutters, choking on the tiny sip of coffee she'd just taken. Her chest is still heaving when Maggie bursts into laughter.

"I'm sorry," she says, but doesn't mean it. Alex looks too cute flustered.

"It's fine," Alex chokes out, still trying to catch her breath. "I couldn't make it into congress even if I tried."

"Why? You'd have my vote." It's hard to sound genuine when she doesn't really know Alex as a person at all. It works to rouse Alex further, though.

"God, Maggie." She mutters in soft frustration, raking a hand through her short hair, and Maggie knows it's time.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." She laughs, then asks casually, "but I mean, as FBI, you've gotta be used to these conferences by now, right?"

Alex doesn't even hesitate. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make it anymore interesting though."

Maggie freezes. There it is, the slip up. Maybe Alex misheard her. She tries again.

"Thought the FBI would train it's agents to be slightly more tolerating of government lectures," Maggie teases, taking a sip from her cup.

Alex scoffs. "Yeah, well, I'm more inclined towards the fieldwork."

Maggie's heart sinks. Alex isn't secret service. How many people has she lied to, that she can't even keep up with who she pretends to be around whom?

"Oh wait, I thought you said you were secret service?"

"... Huh?" Alex tenses, and Maggie sees that her eyes widen just a tiny fraction before she composes herself again. "Yeah, I am. Isn't that what you said?"

"No, I said FBI," Maggie pretends to laugh at Alex's silliness but an imaginary fist is gripping at her throat.

"Oh, did you?" Alex laughs too, "well, in my dreams maybe. The FBI has much more interesting cases than we do."

The waitress swoops in to lighten the tension, presenting them with their meals.

"Thanks Stacey," Alex chimes as the woman places the porcelain bowl in front of her.

"No problem, enjoy!" She calls out before she walks away, but there's little for Maggie to enjoy now. She spends the rest of lunch trying to push past the disappointment of Alex lying, trying to remind herself of what she realized this morning: that Alex doesn't need to be honest with a stranger, and that's what she still sees Maggie as right now. It hurts Maggie, for some odd reason she can't quite place, but makes her all the more determined to get the truth from her. So they talk, mostly nice and friendly but occasionally bordering on coquetry. It's light and fluffy, and Alex melts into it, oblivious to the pain behind Maggie's eyes, too smitten to notice. She gradually regains her DEO agent skills though, catching the growing sadness seeping from across the table whenever she talks about her 'work'. It doesn't take long for Alex to realize Maggie knows she's lying. She doesn't bring it up, doesn't confirm Maggie's suspicion and they part on a high, already making plans to go back to the bar tonight.

"I'll be driving though," Maggie says, referring to her bike, "so I won't be doing much drinking."

"That's okay, we can play billiards."

\---

Maggie would like to say it drags on this way the next few days, but there's really nothing draggy about it. Time _flies_ when they're together. They meet every single day following that lunch date, giving up on making day plans and resorting to nights at the bar when it becomes increasingly difficult to match break times. It falls into a nice rhythm after the first couple days, and they don't even bother to check in after work anymore, as if daily pool rounds are a given. Behind the laughs, Alex still sees the pain Maggie tries to hide but never mentions it. She knows she can't, not without ruining whatever it is they have, and it's too soon before she has to admit she can't bear the thought of ever losing Maggie.

While most of Alex's days drawl into the same routine of: fight alien crime, in-depth meetings with General Lane over Operation Chameleon, then pool and drinks with Maggie, Maggie's life is a much messier roller coaster. She gets the lease to her apartment a few days earlier than expected, and she spends every spare moment trying to think of ways to fill up the bare space. Her days comprise of visiting crime scenes, hearing insignificant updates about Operation Chameleon that the captain is surely holding back information on, running down to her apartment to decorate a little at a time, then rushing off to madly confusing nights with Alex Danvers.

She doesn't even bother trying to fight her feelings anymore, too exhausted these days to do anything but nod quietly as Alex spits the lies her way. She's falling fast and knows it's going to hurt like hell when Alex doesn't catch her, but plays along anyway. The flirtatious remarks take a more serious turn and it's on more than one occasion that Maggie has to physically pinch herself to stop from giving in to the sexual tension fizzling dangerously between them.

 _Fuck's sake_ , Maggie curses under her breath, and drags her fingers through her waves. It's the Friday night of Maggie's second week in town and she's had one of her worst days yet. Today, she received news that Operation Chameleon is a go, but they're not allowed to post officers on the roof because if the attacker breaks the ceiling, the fall could be fatal to those stationed there. That makes sense. What doesn't, is that despite this entire operation being _her_ idea, she's told that NCPD will have a minimal part to play in it. The entire thing is still under stupid federal jurisdiction. She'd spent the whole morning ranting about it to poor Marrow, who'd just nodded in sympathy and tried to calm Maggie down. And as if it's not bad enough that the organization Alex claims to work for is trying to ruin her life, said woman has to stroll into the bar in the tightest-fitting black jeans Maggie's ever seen her in. Coupled with a pair of black suede ankle boots and a distressed, black crop top from Maggie's favourite band, it takes everything in Maggie not to slam Alex into the wall and have her way with her right there. Instead, she takes another hard knock of whiskey, trying to drown in her misery. She's not planning to indulge Alex in her lies tonight; not in the mood for billiards, or any other _games_ Alex might want to play. Maggie turns her attention back to the display of liquor bottles neatly lined up on the other side of the bar table, taking another swig of the hot, ember liquid. For the first time since stepping foot into the bar, she's thankful that she decided to Uber here. Definitely not leaving this place sober, she decides. She almost shrieks in frustration when Alex approaches and places a hand on her back anyway.

"Hey, Maggie."

Alex's voice is soft, and gentle, as always, but Maggie has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from yelling. Alcohol, bad days and unresolved sexual tension evidently don't mix well.

"Hi." She forces out, gritting her teeth. She thinks her bitter tone should drive Alex away, but it doesn't. Instead, Alex spins Maggie's rotating barstool around to face her, eyes full of worry. Of course it's worry; not anger, not annoyance, but full-on raking-her-eyes-over-every-inch-of-Maggie's-body kind of worry. Of course this perfect woman would _care_ about her, because that's just it. They're not strangers anymore, not acquaintances, hell, not even friends. They're way past that, but Alex still hasn't come clean, possibly won't ever come clean, with Maggie. And it tears Maggie apart.

"What's wrong?" Alex asks, bringing a hand up to tuck Maggie's hair behind her ear to get a better look at her face. Maggie freezes at her touch, and Alex glides her thumb across Maggie's cheekbone, trying to soothe her. It's times like these, the breaks in Alex's shy disposition, when she's confident enough to make these advances that catch Maggie off-guard, that Maggie finds it the most difficult to restrain herself. Before Maggie can think twice, her hands snake around the back of Alex's thighs, guiding her to step closer. Alex loops her arms around Maggie's neck and under her hair, interlocking her fingers as she strokes her thumbs along Maggie's hairline. They stay like this for a little while, letting the tension build. The next time Maggie feels Alex take another tentative step forward to close the gap between them, she draws in a shuddering breath and looks down at her lap, trying to compose herself.

Maggie runs her hands up, sliding over the tight denim clinging to Alex's toned legs. She freezes when Alex does, feeling the bulge in the back pocket of her jeans. Alex's badge. Maggie looks at her, breath caught in her lungs. She doesn't expect to see the utter fear in Alex's eyes, the way she swallows hard against what had to be a lump in her throat. Suddenly Maggie doesn't want to know, doesn't want to face the disappointment she knows is surely there. She's fighting the scream in her throat when she surges forward, catching Alex's lips with her own. Maggie has to squeeze her eyes shut when she slides her hands over Alex's back pockets, lacing her fingers behind Alex's back to pull her even closer, between her own legs. Maggie knows she fucked up, knows she should be whipping out that piece of shit in the back of Alex's jeans and demanding for an explanation for the lies and the deceit; but she can't bring herself to, can't imagine pushing Alex's warm body away and never being able to hold her again. God, she fucked up. Maggie cries, the tears staining her cheeks as her lips tremble, breaking the kiss. Alex has to bite back the confession that's threatening to spill, guilt pooling in the pit of her stomach. She's never been this close to compromising her identity before; has never wanted to so much before. Maggie sucks in a staggered breath and has to force herself off the barstool and out the door, neither of them saying a word. This girl, this fucking girl. Doesn't she see what she's doing to Maggie? Maggie stumbles out of the bar, tripping up every few steps from the wet fog clouding her vision, and sinks down to the ground when she finds herself alone, in the dark alleyway. She grits her teeth to fight back a sob, willing herself to cut this fucking crybaby shit out; but the burn of the whiskey is still fresh at the back of her throat, and the burn of Alex fucking Danvers is even fresher, on the tip of her tongue. 

\---

When her alarm rings the next morning, it sounds like nails on a damn chalkboard, and Maggie groans and screams into the pillow. She barely slept the entire night.

She glares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror when she makes it there, lipstick smudged against her cheek. She can't remember the last time she slept with her makeup on. Probably college, if she's being completely honest. Closer inspection alludes to the puffy red eyes under the running streaks of mascara, the slightly sunken cheeks hiding under faded blush, and the dark bags clinging to her under eyes. What a mess. Every movement she makes to brush her teeth, wash her face, and tie her hair, her brain screams against. After managing to lug her aching body home late last night, she'd ordered more alcoholic room service and doused her internal organs with it, hoping to asphyxiate her goddamn amygdala. It doesn't work, of course, and Alex Danvers is still the last thing on her mind before she crashes.

The hangover is heavy on her bones when she sets off for work this morning. She takes longer than usual, soaking in the comforting purr of her Triumph as she weaves in and out of the morning traffic. When she reaches her desk, Marrow is there to greet her with donuts and coffee from Noonan's.

"Hey, Maggie." She greets, and Maggie winces at the memory of Alex's voice last night. "I brought breakfast to cheer you up from yesterday. Are you still mad about what the captain said?"

"About what?" Maggie grunts, slipping into her seat and plopping her sling bag on the ground next to her.

"Uh, about the NCPD needing to pull back from Chameleon...? Maggie, are you okay?" June bends over from where she's seated on Maggie's desk to get a closer look at her and Maggie flinches away, the memory of Alex doing the same last night still raw.

"Just hungover."

"Oh, you were out with Alex again. How'd it go?"

"Terrible. We kissed. And she still didn't tell me anything." Maggie didn't really see a point in keeping things from June. She knew the girl enough to trust that she'd keep it to herself.

"Wait, back it up. You two kissed?" June gasped. "Did you guys..."

"No. It was just a kiss, and that's all it'll ever be."

"But," June pauses, bringing her voice down quiet and soft, "you like her, Maggie."

Maggie snaps her head up to glare at the fiery-haired girl. 

"She's _never_ going to be honest with me, Marrow."

June sighs, feeling helpless, but she knows Maggie's right. It would never work between them if Alex was always hiding a part of her life away.

"Then forget about her."

"What?" Maggie frowns.

"Forget about her." June says more firmly. "Don't hang out with her anymore. Cut contact. If she doesn't value you enough to trust you, she's not worth the time or the heartache. It's better to just end it before you guys start something you both know isn't going to last."

Maggie stays silent but Marrow can see the gears turning in her head. Eventually, Maggie reaches out into one of the paper bags she'd placed on the table, pulling out a donut.

"You're right. What's the point of holding onto something that's on the brink of falling apart." She bites into the donut forcefully, and June winces. It's going to take a while before Maggie really starts to move on, but the decision to do so is a step in the right direction, she thinks. She watches as Maggie pulls her phone from her pocket and blocks Alex's contact, consumed by the overwhelming feeling of betrayal.

\---

The week or so after that really does _drag_ on, for both Alex and Maggie. Maggie plunges into her work, cracking a record number of cases in just a matter of days. It's hard, but every time she feels the unmistakable hollow in her, she runs to the IT department and seeks comfort in Marrow's warm hugs and understanding eyes. The girl quickly becomes familiar with Maggie's body language, knowing just when to ramble on with a bubbly story so that Maggie can be quiet for a bit and pretend to listen, when all she really wants is someone to be with her without the awkward silence.

Alex isn't any better. She checks her phone every minute, and jumps whenever it rings, only to feel her heart drop when it's not from Maggie. Minutes drag into hours, and then into days, and before she knows it, a week has gone by without a word from Maggie. She still visits the bar every night, hoping and praying that Maggie will decide to show up again, but she never does. She visits Noonan's too, sometimes with Kara but most times without, for all three meals because Maggie and her have never gone anywhere else. Alex doesn't know what to do, doesn't know what she _can_ do to bring back that contentment that had become such a constant in her life over the past two weeks. She can still feel the static dancing across her lips from where Maggie's had met hers, and man, she misses it like hell.

Maggie purposefully avoids those two places, so Alex can forget about bumping into her there. It gives Maggie a chance to explore the city, and most days Marrow is yanking her down the street to her favourite eating spots and hideouts, insisting that Maggie doesn't coop herself up in the office all day. She's really the only reason that Maggie is even able to make it through work, and she quickly becomes to Maggie the little sister she's always wanted. She invites June over on the nights she finds difficulty fighting the pull to run to the bar. They talk, and laugh and watch scary movies late into the night, June leaving only when she's sure Maggie's all right. Some nights, June never leaves, hand on Maggie's hair as the detective falls asleep, head on her lap on the couch. She gets Maggie's heartbreak, knows Maggie let herself get too caught up in her little quest to find answers and would need a lot of love to feel better. And if there's one thing June's any good at, it's loving people. She's great at building people up, encouraging them to accept and treasure themselves; though when she talks about self-love and mental nourishment, it's more an act than not, because god knows she doesn't follow any of that nonsense herself. It doesn't matter, she tells herself. As long as she _appears_ to be happy, no one really seems to care anyway.

It's easier for Maggie to laugh at June's quirks after a while, healing in progress, but the itch of wanting to be in Alex's arms again never really goes away. Maggie puts it off for as long as she can, but of course, the next week comes around and it's time for Operation Chameleon to be put in effect.

There's been no movement on the attacker's part since that night, so the feds spend the days leading up to the mock rally publicizing the event, hoping it reaches her ears somehow. The day before the operation, the captain gathers the NCPD Science Division for a final meeting.

"There will be snipers posted in all the surrounding buildings. Stay alert for the signal and get to cover before the girl strikes. You'll all be armed for protection, but we've been given strict orders not to engage. We leave the fighting to the feds. Understood?"

"Yes sir," everyone says in unison and Maggie scoffs. This isn't fucking fair.

"Remember to report in the right attire. You'll be posing as reporters for the night. The event starts at seven. Don't be late." He wraps up the meeting a little while later and dismisses everyone for an early release from work. Maggie and June instinctively find each other in the crowd, falling into pace as they walk out of the station together.

"So, tomorrow's the big day! Are you excited?" June bounces on the balls of her feet every few steps, grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess. I'm still pissed that they're cutting our involvement short." Maggie huffs, rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. It's more important that we catch this girl and stop her from hurting Mdm President." Marrow breaks into a little skip on the pavement. "Aaand...!" She pipes, raising her index finger to emphasize her point, "staying away from the fight means you'll be safe, which is amazing news, isn't it?"

Maggie can't help the smile that tugs at her lips. This sweet girl has been the brightest constant in her crazy life since she'd set foot in this city.

"I love you, Marrow." Maggie says suddenly, and June turns to face her with slight surprise. They'd gotten really close ever since the first time Maggie came to find her in the IT department, sure, but she never expected to hear Maggie say that, and with such sincerity.

"I love you too, Maggie." She grins, winding her arms around Maggie's waist in a side hug. "You're like the big sister I've always wanted."

June's an only child too, like Maggie, and it's a relief to both of them to have finally found a pillar to lean on amidst the worst of times. Maggie leans down to press a kiss to the top of June's head, chuckling when June pulls herself away and starts to pirouette down the walkway. She stops after a while, turning and running back to Maggie to walk by her side the rest of the way until they reach Maggie's bike. They go to yet another new restaurant for dinner, Mexican this time, and Maggie enjoys the last quiet night with her cheerful, energy ball before getting hurled back into the swirling tornado that is Alex Danvers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back together!

Maggie's up before the sun the next morning. It's easier to wake these days, when she's not lugging her body home from extended nights at the bar. She clicks on the bedside table lamp and hops out of bed, heading straight for the shower. It's bright outside by the time she's done. She pulls the curtains apart, letting the sunlight stream through the glass to warm her up. She stands there for a while, patting her hair dry with a towel and enjoying the view. It's peaceful, one of the rare moments of quiet upon the city. Maggie's grown to love looking over the soft glow of the early morning from her apartment. She'd moved in two days after that painful night with Alex and although quite a few days have already gone by, Maggie doesn't quite feel it yet. Her apartment is still bordering on bare, queen-sized bed still feels a tad too big, and she _still_ can't remember to buy her own booze, too used to picking up the non-existent phone beside her bed to dial for room service. It's nice though, despite the unfamiliarity. It feels good to have a proper place to herself, a safe haven.

Maggie makes her way to her dining table and sets up her laptop. She suspects she'll never really use this table for its rightful purpose, always opting to settle on the couch in front of her tv on the rare days she doesn't eat out. She pulls up the file on Operation Chameleon and glances through it. She'll never not be furious at the feds for overlooking the NCPD, selfishly disregarding them because of their baseless superiority complex, but she does what she always does before a mission: slot every single detail into different pockets of her brain. It's saved her life more times than she can count, to know exactly what she's walking into, and all the ways to run out. It's simple enough; the building's significantly smaller this time round, with two more doors to escape from the main event hall than the ballroom in The Mandela. They should all be able to get out in time before the girl makes her move, and even if they don't, the ceiling is mostly glass so the damage will at least be largely contained to surface level cuts than crushed bones from falling concrete bricks. There's always risks involved. The fact that this one is unlikely to result in death is considered a win, really.

Maggie gets ready then sets off for work when she's done, picking up coffee, a croissant and an extra cookie for Marrow on her way. It's a surprise when Maggie doesn't see her at her usual spot - in Maggie's spot - to greet her. Her desk is just as it was the day before, seat cold, and there's no sign of the little fireball.

"Hey Karen, have you seen Marrow?"

"Yeah, she jumped straight into work this morning. Didn't even have time to say hi before the captain dragged her away."

"Huh." Maggie frowns, walking out the door again. She taps on the glass door of the IT department and enters.

"Hi Maggie!" June grins, dropping her work without hesitation to run to her.

"Hey, kid. I got you a cookie," Maggie offers. "What're you working on? Karen says you've been busy helping the captain all morning."

June bites into her cookie and huffs. "He's got me pulling schematics on all the buildings within a mile radius of the event tonight, even those they aren't putting snipers in. He says the feds want it for standard precautionary measures, or something."

"Oh, sounds easy enough. It's just compiling records right? All state blueprints should be in the system."

"The event's right smack in the center of the city! Do you even _know_ how many buildings there are in a one mile radius?" June grumbles. "I'll give you a clue: it's a lot."

Maggie chuckles, giving the girl a little pat on the head and watching her blonde-orange hair shift on her shoulders slightly.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love your hair? It really suits you."

June's smiling again almost immediately.

"Right? I really like it too, it's kinda like fire." She tosses her head around, letting her hair flip wildly like flames dancing around her head.

"You look crazy," Maggie laughs, combing through June's hair with her fingers to smooth it out. "It's a shame we won't be able to hang out during the operation tonight, I'll be bored to death without anyone to talk to."

"I'll be with you on comms!" June grins.

"Yeah," Maggie rolls her eyes, "with, like, 50 other NCPD officers."

June laughs. "You'll have Karen with you, and Fletcher, and Dustin, and BJ. They're all your family now too, you know."

Maggie ponders over her words, then smiles. "In time, I guess."

"Mhm, you can stick close to them if you want to, you know..." there's a long pause before she continues, "... avoid Alex."

Maggie stiffens.

"I mean," June says carefully, "she'll probably be there, considering she was there the first night. And you said she's been investigating the assassination attempts since New York, right? Clearly, whoever she's working for has assigned her to this case."

Maggie swallows, voice caught in her throat. She'd never even thought about it, but of course Alex would be there. She groans into her hands, and feels the weight of June's palm coming to rest on her shoulder.

"You don't have to talk to her, or even look at her, Maggie. There'll be _hundreds_ of people there, maybe you guys won't even cross paths."

Maggie stares at her incredulously. She knows that's not how it works. Just the knowledge of being in the same room as Alex again makes her entire body want to fall to the ground.

"Sawyer. Meeting in room two." Fletcher's sudden voice from the doorway jolts Maggie out of her thoughts.

"Okay, coming." She gets up to leave, and sighs at the knowing, sympathetic look of June. "Let's have lunch together before the nightmare begins."

June nods and Maggie is out the door, steps suddenly slow and heavy with a newfound sluggishness.

\---

When Maggie arrives at room two, the place is already filled and the captain is getting ready to speak. He mostly repeats the details of the op again, emphasizing the stupid rule of not engaging and staying out the feds' way. Maggie zones out for the warnings, sick of hearing it, tuning back only to the important bits.

"Remember, the president won't actually be there, so don't stick around as protection detail. The second you hear the signal word, you take cover. Try to wear something moderately protective too, in case the girl shatters the roof again. Your comms will be linked on two channels, one with NCPD HQ and the other with the snipers. All comms are one way, so you won't be able to speak to anyone over them. Too many agents involved, it'll be a mess if everyone had access to the lines. So, you listen, you follow instructions and you make it out. Simple as that. You'll all be within arm's reach anyway, so watch each other's back, got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Consider this the pre-op briefing, so don't gather when you reach. Get straight into mission, stagger your arrival times and entrances. Stay alert, and stay safe."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

\---

When Maggie plops herself down on her seat after coming back from a follow-up investigation on another case involving possible alien weaponry circulating around the black market, she's both grateful and positively _un_ grateful for the breather. Every idle moment is a moment to think about Alex and how she's going to be, as the captain said, _'within arm's reach'_ from Maggie in just a matter of hours. The anxiety - and slight anticipation that Maggie would never admit to feeling - bubbles just under her skin, radiating off her. She's already gotten the "are you okay?" from several of her coworkers, and Maggie tries to attribute it to their superb observation skills rather than her inability to hold herself together. Her efforts to convince herself fall flat once she goes to find June for lunch and the girl calls her out for it.

"You look terrible," the younger girl says upon seeing Maggie.

"Gee thanks, Marrow. Just what I wanted to hear." Maggie retorts sarcastically as she tugs her leather jacket on. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just give me a sec to upload this..."

Maggie ends up waiting twenty minutes before Marrow is finally ready to leave, and she thanks the heavens that detectives don't have fixed lunch break timings.

"About damn time," Maggie mutters as they walk through the entrance of the diner and hear the jingle of the bells.

"Heh. Sorry, but I didn't want to leave the upload running without being there. If anybody accidentally clicked something and interrupted it-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Maggie waves off her explanation, leading them to one of the booths in the corner. The lunch crowd was dispersing slowly, groups of people chatting loudly even as they made their exit. It was past the usual lunchtime of the average working population.

"At least it's a little less noisy now." June chirps, signature grin plastered on her face.

Maggie scowls, feeling her tummy rumble again. They place their orders of burgers and fries and shakes and June feels relieved when they come a split second later, hoping the food will appease Maggie.

"Are you okay?" June asks after the waitress serves them their meal, peering at Maggie from across the table as she sips her strawberry milkshake.

Maggie shrugs.

"Still thinking about you-know-who, huh?"

"I was making progress," Maggie insists. "I was getting over it."

"I know," June says, but she knows Maggie's lying. She's far from 'getting over' Alex. "Tonight doesn't have to be different. With how crazy the city has become recently, we'll probably have more joined operations with the feds, or whatever organization she works with. Even if you hate that she's keeping something from you, and I know you do, when it comes to professional matters, you can't really avoid her. Not unless you leave the NCPD..."

"I'll _never_ give up being a cop."

June smiles. "Then you'll have to get used to possibly needing to be in close professional proximity with Alex occasionally."

Maggie remains quiet as she takes a bite of her burger. June never presses her, and they're almost done with their entire meal when Maggie finally breaks the silence.

"You know, I'm supposed to be older sister giving advice to the little kid." She huffs.

June laughs out loud. "I have my moments."

"No, you're actually one of the most mature people I've ever met, Marrow. Even if you don't act like it all the time," Maggie teases, then becomes serious again, "your brain's always moving, always working. You're observant, quick on your feet, and so unbelievably hardworking. It's honestly not a surprise you graduated years before your peers."

June sips at her milkshake, eyes twinkling as she grins.

"How was it like, being in a class full of older kids?"

June's face falls immediately, but she tries to catch herself.

"It was all right," she says, not elaborating.

Unfortunately for June, Maggie's a topnotch detective and sees past her act easily. "It wasn't great, was it?"

June stays silent, doesn't really know how to answer. She's never been asked whether it was bad before. Everyone always assumed it was so great, and so impressive that she'd been top of her class. Nobody had ever stopped to imagine that being at the top so quick also meant feeling so, so small in every other aspect.

"I'm sorry school wasn't better for you, Marrow." Maggie says sincerely, reaching across under the table to take June's hand.

"It's okay," June manages to say. "It sucked that I didn't have friends my age, or any friends for that matter, but at least I made it through with good grades." She sighs.

"Were they mean to you?" Maggie clenches her teeth, suddenly angry and protective. June was so pretty, Maggie thought she'd surely be hanging out with the popular kids. Hearing that she was ostracized was almost like a hard slap in the face. June feels her heart swell at Maggie's genuine concern. She doesn't feel quite as guarded anymore when Maggie's the one asking.

"No, they just didn't really talk to me, is all. I was still underage when a lot of them already weren't, so it made socializing a little tough. After a while, I just sort of gave up and focused on my studies instead. It was the one thing I could get right; the only thing I could hold onto."

Maggie sighs, squeezing June's hand. 

"Well, you got me now. Always."

June squeezes back, smiling.

\---

In the comfort of June's company, Maggie's mind strays from Alex. It's when she says goodbye to June at the end of the work day and sets off for home that her thoughts wander back to the redhead. She tries to chill the burn of craving Alex on her lips with cookies and cream ice cream; almost tries something a little harder but realizes she still hasn't stocked her damn liquor cabinet. Also, staying sober for the mission would probably be the smart thing to do.

She throws herself into the task of laundry to avoid the nagging reminder of Alex at the back of her mind, though the active efforts to push her away only make the thoughts more persistent. It feels like forever before it's finally time for Maggie to get ready and leave for the fake event. She puts on a loose-fitting white blouse and tucks the hem into her high-waisted black jeans, pulling the material slightly to let it sit nicely and making sure it covers her gun. She hops into a pair of black heels, hoping it gives her otherwise borderline casual outfit a slight formality. When she's satisfied that she can pass off as a young reporter, she grabs a small, blue cross-body bag and with a final look-over, heads out. She calls an Uber, because arriving in a hardcore motorcycle probably isn't very 'young reporter'-esque.

She arrives earlier than she expected, almost a half hour early. Maggie sighs, paying the driver and getting out. Thankfully, people have already arrived. With the buzz and laughter from groups of 'reporters' chatting away inside and outside the building, the atmosphere is an astounding match to how it was at the state dinner. Maggie has to remind herself that these are all agents, despite what the DSLRs slung on most of their shoulders say. She canvasses the area outside, then makes her way in, fully impressed with how authentic they made the entire faux event look. There are boom operators and camera crew hovering all around the make-shift stage, seemingly preparing for the president's appearance, and light refreshments displayed at opposite sides of the large room. Maggie takes note of the three exits as she walks further in. The biggest is the main entrance, where she'd just come through. Then there's the two side doors located right beside either food tables.

"Hi there miss, can I offer you some punch or some pastries?"

Wow, waiters too?

"No thank you," Maggie declines with a smile, heading to the washroom when she's done surveying the place. She locks herself in one of the stalls and pulls out her comms, fitting it snug in her right ear. She double checks that her gun is firmly tucked into the waistband of her jeans and hidden by her blouse before she steps out again. She's caught by surprise at the reversal of roles when she sees a familiar redhead in front of the mirror, studying her own reflection, and the memory of their first meeting flashes in her mind.

"Maggie..." Alex breathes, almost in disbelief.

Maggie thought her fight or flight would push her to make a run for it, but she stands still, frozen in place even as Alex turns around to face her.

"I'm so sorry, Maggie," Alex whispers. She lifts her hand tentatively to reach for Maggie, but stops before she makes actual contact, waiting for consent from the smaller woman. Maggie doesn't comply, and takes a hesitant step back. "Maggie, please." Alex pleads, desperation clinging to her words. Seeing Maggie in front of her is a shock to Alex's system. Suddenly, every desire she's had to hold Maggie seems real and plausible again, makes her dangerously _hopeful_. Maggie being mere steps away just adds fuel to the already fierce fire, pushing Alex over the edge. She sucks in a deep breath, and the words spill out of her mouth before she gets a hold of it. "I'll tell you everything."

She almost takes it back, almost mutters an apology and leaves, but Maggie's eyes widen and soften just a little, and that's all the push Alex needs. She's going to get fired, but Alex isn't thinking right now. She's doing. She's stepping forward, and drawing Maggie into herself. Maggie isn't fighting back, is pliant and soft and leaning into Alex's embrace.

"I'll tell you everything, Maggie. I promise. After this thing, okay?"

Maggie nods against Alex's shoulder slowly, still in a daze. She'd been suppressing her feelings for so long, it was almost overwhelming to be back in Alex's arms. Maggie was willing her feet out the door when Alex said the one thing that changed everything. That promise lifted the weight that Maggie wasn't sure just how long she could keep carrying.

"I missed you," Alex murmurs into her hair, holding Maggie tighter.

"So much," Maggie completes, and Alex draws back to lock eyes with her. Alex leans in slowly, giving Maggie the choice to pull away if she wants to. When Maggie doesn't and Alex feels soft, plump lips moving against her own, she hums into the pleasure. It's different from their first kiss - slower, gentler, like they're trying not to hurt each other. Alex backs Maggie to the wall slowly, and Maggie groans upon contact with the hard, cold surface. They should stop, Maggie thinks, they could get caught; but instead, she pulls Alex flush against her and runs her tongue across Alex's bottom lip.

As if Alex could read her mind, the redhead pulls away abruptly the very next moment, leaving Maggie to chase the kiss. Alex brings a finger to her ear and Maggie realizes how close they really are when she hears the faint noise buzzing in Alex's ear. She must be getting called into position. Maggie uses her index finger to tilt Alex's chin back up towards her, momentarily breaking Alex's focus on listening to her comms. She guides Alex's lips to her own again, savouring the taste before she pulls away. Alex melts under Maggie's gaze, chests heaving and hearts thumping against the other.

"I don't know," Alex pauses, slightly breathless, "I don't know if I'll be able to meet you later." She smooths Maggie's brown locks behind her ear and cradles her cheek. "But if not tonight, then tomorrow, okay?"

Maggie knows what she's talking about, and nods, leaning her forehead against Alex's.

"Just don't go. Not again." Alex whispers, voice breaking before she gets the last syllable out. Maggie responds with a kiss to her forehead, to her nose, then full on the lips, drinking her in.

Alex holds and waits until Maggie's breathing slows to a normal pace before she reluctantly untangles herself from Maggie's embrace.

"I have to go. Get out once you hear the signal, okay? Let me know when you're safe."

"I need you to text me first. I kind of... Blocked you, a little."

Alex laughs, breaking the tension from the moment just before, but there's a twinge of sadness in her eyes. "You got it."

"Let me know when you are?" Maggie asks.

"Definitely."

\---

Maggie leaves the bathroom a little after Alex does, when she's slightly more put together. She's barely made it back to the crowd in the main room when she spots a female figure sneaking around the corner. The girl peers around shadily, then quickly makes her way up the stairs. Memory catches up with Maggie instantly. The captain specifically said that the president made orders that no one should set foot on the roof; too exposed and too high a risk of falling to their death with the glass and the rubble should the assailant manage to destroy it again. Nobody would be dumb enough to disobey a direct order from the president, not even the defense minister himself. After _years_ of working alone in Gotham PD, Maggie has grown accustomed to making split second decisions without informing anyone until the job is done and the case is closed. It'd take more than a couple weeks in a nice city and a pretty girl to wash out Maggie's recklessness, so she glances around, and follows the suspicious woman up to the roof when she's sure no one's watching. After all, if she got caught doing this, she'd sure as hell be fired too.

She makes it to roof, and hides in the doorway of the stairwell, peeking out in search of the woman in the black dress. She spots her looking over the edge of where concrete meets glass ceiling, observing the rally from above. Inside her ear, Maggie can hear the crackle from NCPD HQ, telling everyone to take position and stay alert because there's still no sign of the attacker. She ignores it, and steps out onto the roof, concealed by the darkness. The light from the mock rally below shines through the glass and lights up part of the woman's dark silhouette. Maggie notes the way the light gleams off the lady's hair, making it appear iridescent. That's when Maggie puts two and two together. She draws her gun and the handy torchlight from her bag, shining it right into the eyes of the attacker who spins round when she yells "NCPD! HANDS IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!", gun trained on the woman. The seconds after that are a blur to Maggie. The crackle in her ear is immediate.

_Code red. We have eyes on the target. She's on the roof._

Maggie knows the agents in the room are all evacuating, but she doesn't hear any of it over the pelting of bullets on the ground from the snipers missing their shot. Fuck. They don't know Maggie's on the roof too. Suddenly flooded with fear and unable to communicate with anyone through her comms, Maggie drops her flashlight only to realize that the light pouring into her eyes weren't coming from the torchlight anymore. The woman had the same galactic purple-blue energy dispersing from her palms, except this time, they weren't attacking, they were defending, protecting Maggie from the bullets. The lady tosses her head back to check on her and that's when Maggie realizes - she's a kid, not a woman. Her gray eyes rake over Maggie's body, and when she's satisfied that Maggie's fit to fly, she turns to grab hold of her and lifts off the ground, gliding smoothly and swiftly to make her escape before Supergirl arrives. The last thing Maggie hears over the comms is that the attacker has gotten away yet again, before a sharp turn and Maggie slipping from the girl's grasp followed by a violent catch by the ankle causes the ear piece in her ear to fall from the sky and into the water below. Everything else drops with the fall; her bag, which held her phone, her gun, and even her expensive heels. Maggie can't breathe, screaming all the while as the wind smacks her square in the face repeatedly. Her throat is raw and possibly bloody by the time the girl sets her down on a rooftop far away. Maggie instinctively fights to get as far away from her as possible, staggering as far as her legs will take her before collapsing from sheer shock and fear.

"I'm sorry for dropping you back there, I've never flown with someone before."

"Get the HELL away from me!" Maggie spits, backing away further.

The girl doesn't even flinch at Maggie's hostility.

"I just want to make sure you're okay, then I'll let you go."

Maggie's chest still rises and sinks sharply with every breath, but despite being terrified in the moment, she senses genuine concern from the girl. Maggie calms down a little, feeding off the unexpected serenity seeping from the alien.

"Who are you? What, are you?"

The girl doesn't reply, so Maggie continues her questioning.

"Why are you trying to kill the president?"

This, the girl visibly tenses at.

"I'm not." She says, and Maggie's scoffs harshly.

"You _trashed_ the last two major events the president showed up at, and you were about to do it tonight if I didn't stop you!"

At Maggie's last word, a flash blasts out at her and Maggie screams, squeezing her eyes shut and curling back in self defense. She could feel the heat from the shot lingering at the side of her cheek even as her lids shakily fluttered open.

"What the _fuck_." Maggie seethes, but starts to think that maybe she should tone it down a little if she wants to live.

"I could've killed you." The girl states, nonchalant. "Could've killed the president too, in the first shot, if I really wanted. I _don't_ want to hurt her, and I don't want to hurt you."

Maggie swallows, trying to stabilize her breathing. "Then what _do_ you want?"

The girl turns to face her for the first time since they landed, and her once calm, silvery gray irises now blaze with a new fury.

"My best friend back."

Maggie's taken aback at the shift in the girl's composure, the sudden anger a stunning contrast against the almost tranquil and detached aura she'd been emitting since Maggie first saw her. To Maggie's own surprise, she feels her guard drop a little, instinct to help the girl rising to the forefront of her mind. Besides, this girl really didn't seem to want to hurt her anyway.

"What are you talking about? Somebody kidnapped your friend?"

The girl nods stiffly, still evidently furious.

"Who?" Maggie asks, and she feels her stomach turn when she hears the girl's answer.

"Maxwell Lord."

The renown alien non-enthusiast, Maggie recalls from her case files. She'd been running investigations on several other cases of black market arms deals with alien-level tech and weaponry. The one name that seemed to pop up in every single one of the files was Lord Technologies, and Maggie had to force back the gag that rose to her throat at the thought of the pictures of fatalities from those very weapons. They'd never been able to make any headway with the case, Lord always having a string of alibis and scapegoats outside his company to take the fall.

"What the hell would that piece of garbage want with your friend?"

The girl sucks in a breath and looks at Maggie again, in quiet contemplation.

"If I tell you, will you help me get her back? Or are you going to arrest me?"

"You're an alien that shoots fireballs, I couldn't touch you even if I wanted to," Maggie says, but at this point she's really just curious. There's no doubt that this girl could obliterate her at any second, but Maggie figures that since she hasn't made any moves, and has even saved her life, she couldn't be that big of a threat; a least towards Maggie.

"He's using her as leverage. Hurting her, hurting me, until I kill the president."

"Why does he want the president dead?"

"He didn't tell me, just asked me to do it; but I overheard him talking about some new initiative. Peace-keeping agreements between humans and aliens."

"That selfish jerk wants to stop peaceful co-existence between humans and aliens." Maggie tries to push herself off the ground, surprised when the girl comes to her help almost instantly. "So where's he holding your friend?"

"In one of his labs, by the coast."

Maggie sighs. "How do you know she isn't already, you know..."

"She's not." The girl says defiantly, shaking her head. "We're tethered. We share a psychic bond, so I know she's alive. They're hurting her, because they know I can feel it. Maxwell Lord lets me see her through a screen sometimes though, when he thinks I need extra motivation to carry out his orders."

"You mean, when they hurt her, you can physically feel the pain too?"

The girl nods again. "She's... Part of me."

"I don't even want to _pretend_ like I know how this alien business works. How were you planning to get her out?"

"I can't. They put a tracking device on me." The girl gestures to the band around her left ankle. "It's a GPS tracker. If I remove it or try to get too close to where they're holding Lu, they'll kill her."

"Wow. Okay," Maggie sighs, "so what do you suggest?"

"Do you think you and your colleagues could get her out before Maxwell Lord notices? I can draw him away, try to stop him from giving the order to kill her."

"It's too big a risk. Knowing Maxwell Lord, he's probably got your friend locked up somewhere deep in his facility. Even if the chief agrees to save your friend, which is questionable since you _did_ try to kill the president twice, we might not make it to her in time."

"I was trying to buy time," the girl insists, "and I know, but that's a risk I'll have to take. I've thought this out for weeks, trying to find another way, but there isn't. If I kill the president, my friend's as good as dead too. I know they're not going to let her go."

Maggie sinks deep into her thoughts, calculating the risks of trusting this stranger.

"How did you know to take me?"

"I didn't," the girl says honestly. "I was just trying to protect you from the bullets, but I figured this could be a shot for me to try asking nicely before using you as my own leverage."

Maggie quirks an eyebrow. "You were going to use me to blackmail the NCPD if I didn't comply?" Maybe it was the honest plea for help, or how little the girl really seemed to be up close, but Maggie suddenly didn't feel so threatened by her anymore.

"If it came down to it, I guess. You have to understand. My friend - she's the only thing I have on earth."

"Why are you even _on_ earth?" It comes out slightly more accusatory than Maggie had meant it to. She feels a pang of guilt when the girl stays silent, and Maggie levels her tone a little. "I'd feel a lot more compelled to help someone I know, y'know. Come on, you can trust me. It's just the two of us here."

The girl looks at her blankly. "Don't you cops all have trackers? I suspect I'll be ambushed in a matter of minutes." 

"We don't tag everyone on the force," Maggie says with an eye roll. "I doubt anyone even saw you take me. It'll be a while before they realize, and besides, my phone took a dive into the ocean when you dropped me back there so unless there are security cameras on this roof, I'm officially off the grid." The girl walks to the side, and Maggie hears the ruffling of something but it's too dark and too far for her to see properly. Not a second later, the familiar soft silvery-purple glow is back around the girl and when it fades away, the girl has changed out of her flowy black dress in favour of a fluffy cream sweater and a distressed pair of denim shorts.

"That still freaks me out." 

The girl ignores Maggie's staring.

"I come here all the time. No cameras."

"I figured as much... So, talk to me." Maggie sits back on the ground, patting the spot next to her.

The girl complies, but puts a sizable distance between Maggie and herself.

"I'd feel more _compelled_ to tell you if I knew you too," the girl challenges coolly.

"Fine. One for one? I'll start. I'm Maggie, from earth."

The girl looks over at Maggie, face placid. "I'm Elara," she says after a pause, "from the moon."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while! I’ve been caught up with some administrative things that I’ve had to do over the past week. A little longer chapter to make up for it. Hope you guys enjoy!

"You're kidding."

Elara cocks an eyebrow at Maggie, unamused. Maggie can barely see her in the darkness, but takes her silence as cue to continue speaking.

"You're _serious_?"

"Of course I am. I thought the," Elara waves her hands in a swirling fog of purple energy, "would've given it away."

"Yeah, sure, but I mean, wow, the moon? Really? What's it like?" Maggie props her cheek on her right knuckles, looking at Elara from a tilted angle, full of intrigue.

Elara leans against the wall behind her, looking up into the sky.

"If I tell you, will you promise to help my friend?"

"I can't make any promises, but I will try my best."

That's good enough for Elara, who's all out of better options.

"It's... Beautiful. Nowhere compares, really." There's a hollow in her voice.

"Then why did you leave?"

"Long story."

"I've got as long as you'll give me," Maggie says simply, "I'm not stupid, I know I'm not getting out of here alive unless you're the one letting me go."

"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Yeah, you say that, but you can't actually expect me to just take your word for it. You could evaporate me right now if you wanted to."

"I don't."

"Like I said, hard to trust a stranger."

A quiet tension descends between them, and it's a while before Elara finally gives in.

"My friend thinks you can be trusted."

"What?"

"My friend. The one that's been captured."

"You're talking to her right now?"

"Tapping into our psychic connection, yeah. She's telling me to have a little faith."

"So do you? Trust me?"

"I trust her."

Maggie draws in a slow breath, "then trust that she's right."

Elara pauses, collecting her thoughts. "Very well."

\---

The operation's over mere seconds after it starts, and there's barely any damage done to the place at all. The snipers were sharp enough to make sure no bullet shattered the glass ceiling during the gunfire, but everyone couldn't help but wonder why it seemed as though the girl knew she was about to be ambushed. Her guards came up much quicker than they expected. June breathes a sigh of relief back at the precinct when everything is done and dusted. They didn't catch the attacker again, but missing the shot makes it a problem with the feds now, so she's not worried about that. What she _is_ concerned about is Maggie. She hopes Maggie doesn't blame herself for her plan failing. As instructed, June speaks through the comms to inform all NCPD officers to report to the garden outside the right side-exit for the captain to conduct the standard attendance count-off. Contrary to Maggie's belief, it took no time at all before the captain realized she was missing.

"Did anybody have eyes on Detective Sawyer while we were inside the hall?" the captain asks, a frantic edge to his tone. 

A pass of glances over one another and he has his answer.

"I want a perimeter and internal sweep of the entire building. Group A take the outside, group B the inside. Find her."

"Yes sir."

He taps into his comms and clears his throat roughly.

“Marrow, this is the captain speaking. I need you to ping Sawyer's cellphone right now.” 

“I'm sorry, sir? Did something happen to Maggie?” 

“Dammit Marrow, I said do it right now!” 

“Y-Yes sir. Just a second.” 

June races to vigorously punch into her keyboard repeatedly, feeling her throat start to constrict. No. Her stomach twists in the most nauseating way possible when the results flash on the screen.

“S-Sir? T-The last signal her phone gave off placed her in the water, two m-miles off the west coast. Twenty minutes ago.” 

June's shaking so uncontrollably, she swears she can hear the rattle in her bones. Oh, dear god, Maggie. It's silent over the line for a few moments before June picks up an influx of radio chatter. The captain had relayed the message to the feds that an NCPD detective had been taken during the operation, possibly as hostage. That's right, June couldn't rule that out yet. Maybe Maggie's still alive, and the kidnapper's simply going to use her for negotiations. After dismissing the junior ranking officers when the search came up empty, the rest rush back to headquarters in a frenzy, Karen spitting expletives all the way.

"C'mon Marrow, tell me you got something," the captain says, barging into the IT department.

"Her phone's a dead end. I've been tapping into traffic feeds all over the city but there's still no sign of Maggie or the attacker. Wherever they are, they're off grid."

"But we're sure that the hostile took Maggie?"

"Positive. I checked the security footage from inside the building and this came up."

The windows on the screen shuffle rapidly as June clicks away at the computer, pulling up a video of Maggie unmistakably following Elara up the corner stairwell and onto the roof.

"She went against orders," Karen says in disbelief.

"Her superior back at Gotham did warn us about her history of act-first-talk-later," Fletcher sighed.

"Well this _isn't_ Gotham," the captain fumes, slamming his fist against the hard desk. June jumps at the sound while the others barely even flinch. The sound of the glass door swinging wide and heavy footsteps marching in are a whisper against the still ringing bang of the captain's frustration.

"I'm sorry sir, she insisted," a security guard piped from the side.

"Who the hell are you?" the captain demands.

"Alex Danvers, FBI." Alex whips out her badge, making sure to change it electronically from DEO to FBI before flashing it. Alex doesn't miss the glare that the pretty orange-blonde IT girl gives her. "My boss heard about the missing detective and he sent me down to see what I can do to help."

"That's real generous of you," the captain says, only slightly sneering.

"What have you guys got so far?" Alex asks, and June sees the way she's fidgeting with her feet, eyes darting over the room like she can't keep still. June recognizes it because she feels exactly the same. She decides that her disdain for Alex can wait.

"Nothing good, just that Maggie followed this mystery lady up to the roof," June gestures at the screen.

"Facial rec?"

"No luck. The girl keeps her head down the whole time, but from the video we know the girl has silvery purple hair," June points at a zoomed-in screencap of the mystery lady. "You'd think that'd be a little hard to forget, but I made a number of calls and no one remembers seeing someone matching that description at all. I've combed through the logs from the other security cameras in the building and not a single one of them picked her up. This girl's good at sneaking around."

"Have you tried tracing her phone?"

"Of course I have. To be frank I'm a little insulted that you even asked," June states venomously but Alex's too worried about Maggie to care, "last signal was off the west coast. We know the attacker flies so they must've flown over that area, and that was nearly an hour ago. They could be anywhere by now."

"Excuse me for a second." Alex walks out of the room briskly, hoping no one notices the shake in her shoulders. She's barely holding it together and the thought of Maggie at the mercy of this alien makes her insides churn.

"Kara?" she speaks when she hears the line go through.

"Alex, is everything okay? What's going on?"

"It's Maggie. The girl, the alien, has her and the NCPD can't find them." The audible tremble in her voice is that much more pronounced in Kara's ear.

"I'll fly over the city and see what I can find. We're going to get her back, Alex. I promise."

Alex squeezes her eyes shut to blink back the tears forming and hears J'onn's voice come over the comms.

"Alex, we're doing everything we can but you know the dark makes it twice as difficult to see through satellite imaging. I'll have people working through the night. If we get any news, you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks J'onn. I think I'm gonna stick around here for a bit. Just in case Maggie finds a way to get in touch with them."

J'onn sighs, knowing it's pointless to try and talk her out of it, "are you okay, Alex?"

"I will be, thanks J'onn," Alex says and cuts off the comms, afraid that if she allows herself to get emotional, she'll lose her control and never get it back. Maggie needs her to be calm and clear-headed right now, so she heaves a deep breath and walks back into the IT room.

\---

"Ready when you are." Maggie squints her eyes in the deepening darkness. She'd thought Elara's hair would surely fluoresce in the dark, but the petite girl sitting just meters away from her is entirely shrouded in black, her soft metallic eyes and blurry silhouette the only indication she's even there.

Elara regards her still with gentle hostility, but starts speaking nonetheless, albeit slowly. "I'll try to be succinct, but to understand everything, we'll have to go all the way back, to the very beginning of time. They say the moon existed long before we did, but before us, it was just a lonely, dark star drifting in a space of nothingness. All that changed when the moon collided with a particularly massive and swift comet. The impact was so extreme, it caused a fissure so deep it created the first crack straight through to the very core of the moon. The cosmic energy buried at the center birthed the first of my people, the Lunarians. We were designed to be a divided people from the start, split by nature into three factions: the fulls, the halves, and the crescents. Each individual would fall into category based on the mark they received from birth. Two fulls would beget a full, and two halves a half. Inter-faction marriages were rare, and completely forbidden among the royal lineages because the result was always unexpected. In spite of everything, because we _are_ created from the gentle soul of the moon, Lunarians are all born with an innate predisposition for passiveness. All three factions lived harmoniously for the most part, fusing into one colony. Our elders laid the foundation for our society, and set up a fair system of governing where the royal heir or heiress of each faction would take turns to rule until their time of death. It was a good system, and it lasted for millenniums upon millenniums. That is, until the previous queen died two years ago. She was a full and a great ruler. When the matriarch fell, it was time for the crescents to take over. It didn't end up working out because the son of the late queen wasn't quite done with the throne yet. He conspired with the prince of the halves to convince their factions to unite against the crescents and overthrow the rule."

Maggie nods hesitantly, processing the influx of information. "So, civil war? That's why you left?"

"Not quite. You see..." Maggie looks up when she notes Elara's lustrous eyes fluttering close, blackening her full form. " _I_ was next in line."

Maggie feels her voice catch in her throat for a second. "You... You're supposed to be queen?"

"Supposed to be, yes."

"So that's it? They just _threw_ you onto another planet? I thought you said Lunarians were a passive people?" Maggie doesn't bother hiding her scoff.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Every Lunarian is born with a life partner. Not a romantic one, but more like a companion in the form of creatures of the moon. We call them Albedo. Each one is specific to each individual. They reflect who we are at heart, and bless each one of us with a special, enhanced ability; strength, intellect, gift of languages, the like."

"Where's yours?"

"With Maxwell Lord."

Maggie frowns, and it's a full minute before she understands. "That's the friend you were talking about?"

Elara's eyes glimmer with a sheen of what Maggie suspects are tears.

"Her name is Lumina. It means 'brilliant light'. Being a royal and a firstborn, my birth was a spectacle throughout the colony. I remember my mother telling me that for centuries crescents would travel miles across the moon to offer my family well wishes and presents at the time of a royal birth, but compared to the ones before, mine was drastically different. Lunarians from all walks of life flocked to our palace, claiming to be inexplicably drawn there. They didn't understand at the time, but everything became clear to my parents when I finally grew old enough to summon my Albedo. They live inside of us for the first few years, growing with us. I don't remember anything about those visitors coming from afar, but I do remember having this glow inside of me, guiding me, from the moment I entered this world. That was Lumina. She gave me the gift of light. When word started to spread, Lunarians gathered by the hundreds." Elara looks down at the ground, sighing. "They called me the 'little light'. Everyone was so intrigued by the way I could... Glow," she says as a yellow shine starts to illuminate from her forehead. Elara looks back up, straight at Maggie, and sees her jaw slack. It's not blinding, and fades as quickly as it came, but Maggie sees it. The shape of it.

"What _is_ that? They look... Like horns."

"It's a Cheshire moon. The symbol for the royal family among the crescents."

"Oh... Kay... So you kind of _gleam_ a little, why is that such a huge surprise for a planet of people who can shoot lasers out of their bare hands?"

Elara rolls her eyes slightly. "They're blasts of cosmic energy, not lasers. My gift was a big deal because apparently no one had ever gotten it before. There are countless Lunarians with above average fitness, superior intellect, or even heightened olfactory systems, but no one could ever produce light. When the queen died, her son, along with the prince of the halves told everyone I was an abomination. The moon, at her very essence, is not a source of light. She simply reflects. _That_ is how they turned the peaceful Lunarians against me, by convincing them that having me around was a direct betrayal to the moon. The princes, they wanted me dead, but our law forbids execution so they chose to banish me to the one place they thought I'd never survive instead. The living environment of earth is drastically different from the moon's. They sent me here hoping I wouldn't live through it."

"How _did_ you survive?"

"I almost didn't. The first few weeks were the worst. The moon has negligible gravity, so coming to earth and feeling the effects of it were awful. I don't think I managed to walk more than ten steps the first day. I remember feeling like I couldn't breathe, either. Later, I found out that it was because of the mix of gases in the earth's atmosphere. We don't have _atmosphere_ on the moon. The gases felt like blades against my throat and poison in my lungs. It was probably the worst part of it all. They left me in the wilderness, and I didn't know where I was heading towards but I kept walking. I covered more ground everyday, but I knew I was dying. I felt as though my bones were being crushed by the weight anchored to my entire body, and my insides were burning from the foreign gases. This carried on for weeks, until I knew I couldn't go on anymore. It was the night that I sat down to rest and give up, that I heard the familiar rushing sound. I looked over the edge of the cliff I was on and saw the waterfall. We had some just like that back on the moon. The Lunarians would wait for the heat from the sun to melt the frozen lunar water collected in the craters and cracks and we would swim in those pools to cool off during the hotter months. The way the moonlight glistened off the surface of the water, I just knew she led me there. I let myself fall off the cliff and straight into the water. It was the only thing that kept me alive. The gravity and the gases didn't feel so intense under there, and I lived in that pool for the next few months. Using the water as a transition, I eventually grew accustomed to the environment on earth. I could fly again, and let Lumina out for the first time since I landed here. It took considerably less time for me to adapt to the human culture. From the start, I observed that humans couldn't fly, didn't have powers, but it was only after seeing those metahumans and aliens get captured on TV, that I realized I couldn't be me. Not entirely, at least, because people would come after me. I tried to blend in; get a job, rent an apartment, buy some clothes. I took sanctuary in New Orleans, the nearest city to the waterfall, and thankfully it's a city known for not quite being _normal_. Nobody even took a second glance at my purple hair and gray eyes when I walked down the street."

"So how did you find your way here?"

"I didn't. Maxwell Lord found _me_. According to him, it turns out that not too long ago, the Lunarian queen actually sentenced one of the Lunarians to exile on earth. He wasn't quite as tactful in concealing his identity, and got caught by a secret organization. They conducted experiments on him, and managed to deduce some information about our kind. One of them being our Albedo, and another being our weakness."

"You have a weakness? What is it?" Maggie asks, somewhat disbelieving.

Elara blinks, "everything has a weakness." She disregards Maggie's second question and continues. "They discovered ours, after what I can only assume would have to have been months of torture and trial and error. The Lunarian died, confirming the success of their newly formed weapon against us. They started to hunt for more aliens like us to carry out their sick research. It should come as no surprise that Maxwell Lord was one of the heads of this organization. Imagine his thrill of finding a girl and her cat with matching moons on their foreheads." Elara's voice dripped with sarcasm, the most emotion Maggie had heard from her since they met. "He knew straightaway and went after Lu. I didn't see him coming. It was over before I even realized."

"How could they have been able to get so close to you to take her away?"

"Like I said, we're not a fighting kind of people. If my reflexes seemed quick tonight, it was only from practice over the last few weeks. I've grown to need the skill."

Maggie sighs. Her mind and her heart in a war, caught between wanting to help this stranger and holding her suspect. Truth be told, Maggie knows she isn't lying. Even without the visibility to scrutinize the girl's features as she speaks, the gut instinct that Maggie honed throughout her years as a cop tells her Elara's being honest. She even feels slightly impressed at the young alien's courage to ask her for help, knowing she's law enforcement. It's bold of her to reveal herself like this, but Maggie hasn't been here very long; isn't sure if she's able to help Elara get the assistance she needs from the NCPD or the feds. The fact that the president is pro-alien keeps her optimistic, though. She seems like a decently reasonable person who would want to help. And if generosity isn't in the books, the prospect of finally catching Maxwell Lord should serve as incentive.

"Well if you take me back to the NCPD station, I can try to get their cooperation as quick as possible."

Elara chuckles for the first time. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Maggie's eyes bulge when she glances at her watch, looking at the lightly glimmering dial. "Oh shit, it's nearly 3am."

"I can tell by the position of the moon," Elara says almost wistfully, pointing at the mellow glow in the night sky. "Are you cold?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry I didn't ask before. Even though we can feel them, Lunarians aren't exactly affected by temperature changes. I understand humans are slightly more sensitive."

"I'm all right, don't worry. It'd be great if you could take me home now though. I'll talk to my captain about saving your friend when I report for work tomorrow."

In the pitch blackness, Maggie hears Elara sigh. "I'm sorry but that's not possible Maggie. Like I said, Maxwell Lord keeps close tabs on where I go, precisely to avoid me going to unwanted places like the authorities. If I drop you at home, he'll trace down everyone who lives in your building. When he figures out you're a cop, he'll know and he'll kill Lu. I can't risk it. Places like these, public and wide open, are the only places I can go besides my home."

“It’s okay, I’ll call an Uber then.”

“It doesn’t seem very safe to leave you on your own without a phone in the middle of the night.”

Maggie narrows her eyes like she’s solving a math equation. "We can't possibly stay out here all night. I was lying when I said I wasn't cold, you know."

"I know." Elara smiles under the cover of darkness. "I was thinking you could spend the night at my place, if you don't mind?"

Maggie frowns, trying to read into Elara's motives yet getting nothing but genuine sincerity. "Of course I _mind_ , but do I have a choice?"

"You could stay _here_."

"Hilarious," Maggie deadpans. "Let's just go."

\---

Alex should've seen this coming, should've known that something like this would happen. Why _wouldn't_ the universe try to destroy her happiness yet again? It was supposed to be tonight. She was supposed to come clean with Maggie tonight. She'd even managed to get J'onn's approval after countless pleas during the mock rally and assurance that Maggie can be trusted with their secret. Everything was supposed to be different after tonight; a good different. She should be holding Maggie in her arms and making up for lost time, but instead she's here, at the precinct, helpless and desperate and feeling so incredibly lost. Her hope diminishes with every passing minute, and she realizes that she never knew just how attached she'd really become to Maggie. Seated beside her, June feels decidedly worse. There's absolutely zero good news, from Supergirl, the feds, even the blinking screens in front of them. They'd been sitting in quiet for hours, Alex giving June a small pat on the back every once in a while when she starts to nod off. Although June's still wary of Alex, the older woman had come to realize that she must be close to Maggie too, considering the fact that she's the only one still here. She'd insisted on staying when the captain dismissed everyone at midnight, telling everyone to continue the search tomorrow.

"Hey, why don't we take turns? I can do the first watch." Alex suggests, more out of concern for the girl than anything. Being a DEO agent, she's used to missions stealing her sleep.

"I can't," June mumbles, clearly fighting off exhaustion. "You're not NCPD. Against protocol."

Alex sighs, knowing she can't counter that. "So, were you from Gotham PD too?"

June straightens. "What?"

"Well, you seem to really care about her, and she's new. I just figured-"

"No," June blinks. "No, we met when she transferred here. We just clicked right away, I suppose."

"Right..." Alex trails, awkward. She wonders just what kind of relationship the two have.

"She talks about you," June doesn't know why she says it, but decides it's probably the sleepiness that makes her really not give a damn to pretend anymore.

"Oh?" It's no real surprise to Alex, who's felt the muffled hostility seeping from the girl since she entered the room.

"She says you're not who you say you are."

Alex remains silent, knows that J'onn gave the green light for her to tell Maggie only because he trusts her judgment, but it doesn't mean a free pass to disclose it to just anyone.

"Do you like her?" June asks after a while.

"I do," Alex admits.

"Then why do you lie to her?"

"I didn't have a choice. I was going to tell her everything tonight," Alex sighs, "before all this happened."

This, June snaps her head up at, appearing much more awake than before. "You're going to be honest with her? Really, truly, properly honest? You swear?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. Yes. I really like her."

"Fantastic,” June declares, with a satisfied clap of her hands. “When we find her, that's the first thing you're going to do."

Alex chuckles at the way June dives straight back to work with a newfound conviction. "Yes ma'am."

\---

It's too soon when the sun rises the next morning, and Maggie groans, more like growls at the sunlight intruding on her slumber.

"Damn it," she swears, and throws the covers off her body. "I surrender, okay? Fuck you," she raises a middle finger to the morning sun and drags herself off the comfy bed. It's a foreign environment, but she hadn't gone into deep enough a sleep to forget what happened last night. She's barely surprised to see Elara sitting on the edge of the window, sipping on a mug of something steaming hot.

"Hey," Maggie croaks, voice still warming up.

"Good morning, Maggie." Elara tilts her head back, and Maggie realizes this is the first time she's seeing the girl out of the cover of darkness. She looks even younger than Maggie expected, but radiates the same undeniable maturity Maggie has felt since they first met. The Cheshire moon on her forehead is a subtle pale yellow in the sunlight, her skin a delicate cream colour slightly lighter than her sweater, and her purple hair a more steely-lavender shade. She's very pretty, Maggie decides, just what you'd expect an intergalactic princess to look like, she guesses. Elara spins around and hops off the ledge, levitating to lower herself to the ground gently at the last second. "Can I get you breakfast?"

"No, that's okay. I should really be getting back home."

"Of course. I can't drop you off anywhere though, I'm sorry. It's too bright out. Maxwell Lord might catch sight of it. I'll call you an Uber, or would you prefer taking the subway?"

"Uber would be great, thank you."

Elara nods, handing over a roll of cash. "For the fare, a new phone and a little extra for the kidnapping."

Maggie laughs. "Right, almost forgot my entire purse is essentially ocean pollution by now. I'll just take the bit for the meter and the holding-me-captive. I just need enough to get me home to my other cards."

Elara quirks an eyebrow, "didn't know police were paid so well."

"We're not," Maggie smiles. "Thank you for letting me rest here for the night. And for saving my life."

"No problem." Elara bends over her coffee table to grab a small receipt, scribbling on it. "This is my number. Update me on what your captain says about saving my friend?"

"Will do." Maggie takes a step towards the door and stops, suddenly feeling the guilt of leaving this young girl behind gnaw at her conscience. "Are you going to be okay?"

Elara stares at her mildly and nods, bringing the mug to her lips again.

"You won't have to wait long for my call, I promise." Maggie feels slightly weird assuring this girl, who regards her with quiet curiosity, not in the least bit seeming to need any comforting. Still, the girl nods in acknowledgment, never once making Maggie feel like she's spoken out of turn. If there's one thing Maggie's learned about Elara in the short time they've spent together, it's how thoughtful she is, even in things above necessity. _Especially_ in things above necessity, if she's being honest, like keeping Maggie warm by piling a bunch of throw blankets on her, offering her food and water before bed the previous night. She didn't have to, and sure it could definitely be the girl trying to buy Maggie's help, but something tells Maggie that it's more Elara's upbringing of putting others before herself. She never thought she'd feel sympathetic towards an alien, geez, but she sure wants to help this girl. Someone so young shouldn't have to go through so much. Maggie can relate.

\---

Soon as Maggie leaves the building, an alert beeps on June's computer, jolting both her and Alex wide awake. 

"What is it?"

"Traffic camera on fourth street caught someone matching Maggie's description," June explains, frantically jabbing at the keyboard to pull up the feed.

"Who's car is that? Where is she going?" Alex frowns, and June is way ahead of her, tracking the car's GPS by the plate number.

"It's an Uber. She's..." June slumps back in her seat in disbelief, letting the tears she'd been holding back stream down her face, "she's going home."

Alex leans forward with her elbows on her knees, holding her temple in both hands, fingers digging into her scalp. She heaves a deep sigh of relief, releasing the tension from her entire body. She hears J’onn relay the same news to her over her comms and thanks him shakily.

"I'm going over. Want a ride?"

June grins as she roughly wipes the back of her hand against her cheek. "Yes, please."

\---

When Maggie makes it home, she picks out the spare key wedged inside a secret spot at the top of her front door and lets herself in. It's pristine, and looks exactly the same as when she'd left it. Not a minute after the door clicks shut, there's a series of loud bangs, shocking Maggie into an involuntary jump.

"What the hell..." she grumbles as she cracks the door back open, only to be pounced on by a familiar flame-headed creature.

"Oh my god, Maggie." June shrieks, bending to squeeze her mid-section.

"Maggie," Alex exhales, holding herself back to let the younger one cling to Maggie. Maggie basically crushes June, gripping so tight and laughing so hard that Alex can't help but smile at the sight.

"We were worried sick, where the hell were you?" June asks, but it sounds more like a chide.

Maggie doesn't reply, contemplating whether she should tell them the truth. "Later, okay? Right now I just want to have a hot shower and change into something clean."

June opens her mouth to say something more, but Alex curves a gentle hand around her wrist to stop her. Maggie smiles gratefully, heading into her room after she tells them to make themselves at home. She's surprised when she walks out of her shower and hears the collective laughter of both Alex and June mixed between June's squealing from the living room. Since when did those two become so close? Maggie pokes her head round and chuckles at the way June's eyes twinkle and gleam as she flails her arms around, enthusiastically relaying a story to Alex. Alex grins, amused at the energetic girl who had seemed so depleted just hours before. She understands though, it's easy to get attached to Maggie like that.

Alex notices Maggie's stare almost immediately and turns to match it, mid-laugh. The sizzle of dry electricity is instant. June catches the exchange and smirks knowingly.

"Maggie!" June waves her over, then excuses herself to use the bathroom, throwing Alex a mischievous wink as she walks away. Peace settles at the exit of the outspoken youngest. Alex eyes the brunette standing in front of her, taking her in entirely. The fear of losing Maggie still bubbled at the surface, though she knows it's silly now. Maggie's here, in the flesh, warm and soft and very much alive. Still, the thought of them being forced apart before they'd even gotten a proper start, an actual _try_ , was devastating to Alex. Maggie, undisclosed to Alex's thoughts, regards the redhead with composed apprehension. Refusing to waste another minute second guessing herself, Alex takes Maggie's hand and tugs softly, snaking her arms around Maggie's waist when the smaller woman stumbles forward into her.

"Hey, you." Maggie smiles as she rests her palms on Alex's elbows.

"Don't you do that to me ever again."

Maggie chuckles in amusement. "Never again," she agrees nonetheless. 

"I need to tell you something."

"That so?"

"Yes. Before you run off again."

Maggie laughs lightly, shaking her head.

"Have you heard of the DEO?" Alex drops her voice considerably.

The brunette freezes. "Department of Extranormal Operations."

"That's the one."

"We heard stories about it back at Gotham, but we mostly laughed it off as a myth."

"Living proof," Alex says, gesturing to herself.

The air in Maggie's lungs double in volume as she draws a deep breath in, trying to come to terms with Alex's confession. Maggie wonders how on earth it is that she's fallen for a woman from a chancy, covert organization like the DEO in the span of just a few weeks. Honestly, what are the odds?

"Maggie?" Alex tests, unsure of what she should expect as a reaction.

"Yeah? Sorry, just, wow. I never would've even guessed the DEO."

Alex chuckles weakly, "well yeah. So, are we good...?" The hope behind her voice is palpable.

Maggie takes another deep breath and holds it. When she lets it all out in a huff, she nods decidedly. "Never better." Maggie grins adorably, and steps up on the ball of her foot to meet Alex's lips. They're dry, and she's clearly been chewing on them all night, but Maggie only feels her heart ache at the thought. She dips her tongue into Alex's mouth, licking her way across the slightly rough skin. The familiar sweetness settles like a drug on Maggie's taste buds, rendering all other senses useless. She closes her eyes, nudging further forward with every kiss until she's pressed up against Alex.

"I'm sorry to have to break this up, but the captain just called and he wants us at the station pronto." When they jump apart, Alex swallows thickly and turns to face June, face crimson. "And by us, I mean..." June continues, pointing at herself then Maggie.

"Right!" Maggie dashes back into her room, leaving both Alex and June dazed by her sudden burst of energy. "Let's get going. I have to talk to the captain," Maggie bullet-trains as she shoves item after item into the first bag she sees. Neither women behind her dares to speak, uncertain where this spurt of anxiety came from. Maggie finally slows to a stop as she tugs on her boots. "Come on guys, time to go. You too, Danvers. You're going to want to hear this."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long, I've been getting ready to essentially migrate to a different country so things have been pretty crazy here. I'm still obsessed with this story though, and I really love writing both the sanvers relationship as well as the actual plot. I'll try my best to get better at updating. Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!

"Dammit, sorry!" Alex yells, lifting a hand and ducking her head slightly as she swerves to keep up with Maggie. Even a couple vehicles back, Alex can tell Maggie's going at _exactly_ the speed limit - way too fast given the heavy traffic - and it's driving her crazy. She struggles to match Maggie's fluidity in weaving in and out of tight corners to pick up pace. What the hell's gotten into her? When Alex finally reaches the precinct, she pulls up next to a bent-over June who appears to be either dry-throwing-up or catching her breath. Maggie has a gentle hand on her back, apologizing.

"Space for me next time?" June asks as Alex approaches, clearly piqued by Maggie's careless driving. Alex smirks, offering an arm for the rookie rider as support while they tag behind Maggie.

"Captain-" Maggie starts when she walks through the doors, but doesn't get to finish.

"Where the hell were you last night? Do you even know the _panic_ you caused?" The entire room falls into silence as the captain rages, careful not to provoke him further.

"Sir, I can explain-"

"I don't care what fucked up shit they taught you at Gotham. Down here, you _listen_ to orders or you're cut. That shit might fly back in that shady excuse of a city but here we operate in the light and we work as a damn team!" The captain barks, slamming his fist so violently against Maggie's desk it's a surprise it doesn't crack. He strides towards Maggie and shoves a threatening finger in her face. "You deliberately disobeyed me. If you think I'm going to let it slide, you're dumber than a sack of wet mice."

Maggie's taken aback at the one eighty shift in the captain's demeanor. He always seemed so laid-back.

"Suspension. Effective immediately."

"What? Wait, for how long?"

"48 hours. _Minimum_. At least while the FBI's sorting things out. I'll extend it as I see fit." He seethes, glaring her down.

"But I can explain! Don't you even want to hear what happened last night? It's _important_ , I swear."

The captain seems to stop, begrudgingly waiting for her to continue.

"It was the alien girl, she took me - saved me, really. I followed her onto the roof because she seemed suspicious, and I know what you're going to say - I know I shouldn't have, but when the snipers started shooting, it was _her_ who got me out of there alive. She protected me, and brought me to safety." Maggie relays earnestly, glancing around the room in hopes that people would understand.

"So, what? You're trying to tell us that this girl - this _terrorist_ who tried to _murder_ the president not once, but _twice_ ," the captain spits coldly, "is a friendly? You must be out of your goddamn mind, Sawyer."

"I'm telling the truth!" Maggie yells in frustration then takes a breath to compose herself, "I know it doesn't seem like it, but she's being forced to do it. Maxwell Lord is blackmailing her." At that name, everybody seems to tense. "He's kidnapped one of her friends, and uses her life as a bargaining chip. We have to help her."

The captain grits his teeth, calculating the possibility in his head. He might be angry, but he's not stupid. He knows just how many futile years the department has spent working to bring down Lord.

"How do you know she's not feeding you a load of bull?" He questions bitterly.

"Frankly speaking, I don't, not for sure, but I saw what she can do. It's far beyond anything we _think_ we know about her. She could've killed the president back in New York in one shot, easy. She held back. The only reason the president is still alive is because the girl doesn't _really_ want to hurt her, or any of us. She just wants her friend back. If we help her, she promises to leave, no more breaking buildings."

The captain scoffs harshly. "Let her go, scot-free? I don't think so. We don't negotiate with terrorists."

"She's a _kid!_ "

"She's a loaded fucking gun, Sawyer, and she could level the city if she wanted to. We're not letting that kind of threat run rampant."

"So what kind of saint is Supergirl that she's not locked behind bars?! Last I checked, she's done plenty worse and you know it."

"Supergirl runs with the feds. If you have a problem with that, detective, I suggest you take it up with them. Lucky for you, they're coming to get you for questioning. Guess that's why she's here," the captain gestures to Alex hovering at the side.

"The feds want to _interrogate_ me?"

"You're the only one who's had contact with the alien." The captain smirks. "Congratulations, you're their biggest lead in catching your new best friend." He turns to leave, but stops midway. "Oh, and detective, it should come as no surprise but should you withhold any information, you _will_ be arrested for aiding and abetting."

" _Fuck's sake_ ," Maggie hisses under her breath.

"Marrow, get back to work and find me that freak." 

Marrow nods weakly, and offers Maggie a sympathetic pout before leaving. Maggie can only glare at the bastard of a captain's back, feeling the anger permeate her entire being. Alex comes from behind, wanting so desperately to wrap her arms around Maggie, but settling for a tender touch on her back. It does the job perfect, and Maggie sighs as the throbbing in her head starts to slow. Maggie walks, and Alex follows closely behind, to a secluded corner.

"I can go with you, if you want."

"I'm _not_ helping them catch her."

"Maggie-"

"No, you don't understand Alex. I've never had any experiences with aliens, and to be honest when I first found out this department dealt with those kinds of nonsense, I thought about transferring out. Almost every single day, before I'd met you and Marrow. I was so sure that I'd never feel at home here, fighting for this ridiculous notion I'd never given much consideration to. I didn't _care_ about aliens, because to me, they weren't real. Not like people, humans. I guess it was partly because they seemed so much stronger, with their powers and all, that I felt like we needed protection _against_ them more than we needed to work _with_ them. Talking to her last night, I didn't feel afraid at all. She made sure I wouldn't have to, but she was. She didn't say it, but her fear of losing her friend was _real_ , Alex. And we, humans, did that to her. It's _our_ fault she's even doing these things!"

"She hurt people, Maggie. She hurt you." Alex tries to reason, still unconvinced, lifting Maggie's forearm as evidence. The multiple scratches from her first night in National City have faded, but are still visible enough to substantiate Alex's point.

"Just barely," Maggie insists, pulling her arm back. "She could've done much worse, but she didn't. Doesn't that say something?"

"I don't know, Maggie. It could've just as easily been a ploy. I mean, how can you trust anything this lady says?"

"That's rich, coming from you." Maggie mutters in a fit of anger, and regrets it as soon as she says it when she sees Alex's face fall. "I'm sorry, that was harsh. I know you had your reasons."

"No, you're right. I _am_ being a bit of a hypocrite. I guess..." Alex sighs, "I've been hunting aliens for so long that I never really stopped to consider that maybe they weren't _all_ hostiles to be caged. I never really entertained the idea of us humans possibly being an indirect cause for why they do what they do. Never really had to. My job has always been to bring the bad guys in, period; never really stopped to have a conversation with them afterwards."

"Maybe we should start. I mean, I never really cared before either, but last night made me wonder - what if things aren't as black and white as they seem? It usually isn't when we're dealing with criminal offenses by regular humans, you'd expect it'd be even more complicated with extraterrestrials. This girl, she needs our help, Alex, not our hate. Please, will the DEO make an exception?"

Alex looks at Maggie with knitted brows and pursed lips. Maggie almost speaks again to persuade Alex further, but Alex sighs in defeat. "I'll talk to my supervisor, try to get custody for the case from the real feds. You'll still be questioned, but..."

"At least it'll be with you."

Alex blinks, staring at the way Maggie's lips curl in the corners to show pearly white teeth as she grins. Beautiful.

"Thank you," Maggie breathes, and wants to take Alex's lips between her own, but knows she can't. Not here, in the precinct.

Nodding, Alex returns the smile. "I'll make the call, be right back."

\---

"J'onn?"

"Alex, how's Maggie?"

"She's good. Listen, J'onn, do you think you could do me a favour?"

"As always, Alex, it depends on what it is."

"The FBI wants Maggie's help in catching the alien but she's not quite on board. Would you be able to request for the DEO to takeover the case?"

"She... _Doesn't_ want her kidnapper caught?"

"No, she thinks the girl's a friendly being blackmailed into assassinating the president by Maxwell Lord. I know it sounds crazy, but she's only willing to cooperate if we agree to help."

"Alex, the law doesn't care for the comfort of criminals."

"Maggie's _not_ a criminal, J'onn! She's just as much the law as any of us and if she thinks there's more to it than meets the eye, don't you think we should dig a little deeper? Even if it's just to prove her wrong, isn't it better to be sure that we're not arresting the scapegoat while the mastermind goes free?"

"I suppose that sounds fair. Have you two spoken with the FBI about it?"

"Not directly, but if the NCPD captain's any indication, they won't take to it well. Please, J'onn. Could you make the request?"

J'onn sighs at the other end, and after a long pause, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, J'onn. I owe you. I'll see you back at base soon."

"No need. It's been a slow day, and I know you haven't gotten any sleep. Take some time off today. I'll call if we need you."

Alex almost refuses, out of instinct and habit, but she catches Maggie's smile from where she's leaning against the wall a distance away and swallows her words. "Okay, thank you J'onn."

\---

"How'd it go?"

"My boss says he'll do what he can."

"Hopefully that's enough. So, are you heading back to base, or whatever it is you guys call it?"

"I've been given the day off actually, my boss can be quite generous sometimes."

"I mean, if you working for some super secret black ops organization ironically means more time with me, I'm all for it," Maggie grins cheekily.

"Maggie," Alex says, too serious for even her own liking, and Maggie shoots her a head-tilt. "You haven't actually told me what happened with you last night."

"Huh, I guess not." 

Alex chuckles. "You know... Victims of alien kidnappings are usually significantly less chill than you are right now. I'm impressed."

"I'm impressive," Maggie smirks, pretending to shrug. She takes Alex's hand and leads her to the lot behind the precinct. It's mostly empty, thank god, but Maggie makes a three sixty to be sure.

"I guess I'll start from after I left the bathroom. I saw this figure sneaking up the stairwell, and at that point I really didn't catch much of her at all, only that she wore a black dress, but I knew we had orders not to go upstairs. Maybe it was curiosity, or even suspicion, but I didn't really think twice when I followed her. When I found her on the roof, she was spying on the party downstairs through the glass. I remember seeing the purple in her hair and something just clicked in me and I drew my gun - my flashlight too, which was probably how the snipers spotted us. Not my brightest idea, on hindsight." Maggie mumbles, rolling her eyes at her own thoughtlessness. "Next thing I knew, bullets were raining left, right, center and I really thought I was going to die. Weirdly enough, this blue, misty fog started to twirl around me, and I realized the alien was actually blocking me from the gunfire. God, I almost fell from shock the first time she looked directly at me. She's _young_ , Alex. Like, seventeen, eighteen young. I was furious at her at the time of course, it was so much to take in at once, but thinking back on it, she was honestly _terrified_ for my safety, which is saying a lot considering the girl's about as expressive as a rock. Everything was a pretty blurry mess when she picked me up and took off. The only thing I remember was me screaming and her dropping me because I was struggling."

"She what?"

"Don't worry, she swooped down just in time to catch me - another thing she really didn't have to do but did anyway. Dropped everything else though; my phone, purse, heels - she was even kind enough to lend me a pair of slippers to get home in this morning. Anyway, she lowered me onto a rooftop somewhere and we got to talking. That's when she told me everything, and believe me I was skeptical as hell at first too, but the way she spoke and the way she acted, they were way too instinctive to fake. She's _genuinely_ worried about her friend, and as soon as we started properly chatting, she never once made me feel uncomfortable or unsafe. To be honest I think I know more about her than she knows about me."

"And that doesn't make you the least bit suspicious? The fact that she's not interested in knowing more about you before spilling all her secrets? I'm sorry, but it still sounds like she could be spinning you a tale, Maggie."

Maggie groans, and glares at Alex. "Are you _ever_ going to give her a fair chance?"

"She blew it herself when she destroyed two fully occupied buildings, whether she was really trying to assassinate the president or not. Sure, no one died, but that doesn't negate the hundreds of thousands in property damage, or the widespread fear and panic she caused. It's _terrorism_ , Maggie! The first event she tore apart in New York? They had to level the entire area and start repairs from scratch! And she took _you_ , god fucking damn it!" Alex yells, feeling a handful of loose tears running down her cheeks. She shuts it down before the waterworks overtake her, and wipes the wetness away. It's crazy, she shouldn't be like this over a woman she met just weeks ago.

"I'm sorry," Maggie whispers, reaching out to squeeze Alex's arm.

"Last night was _bad_ , Mags." The quiver in Alex's voice devastates Maggie.

"I'm sorry you had to go through it. I couldn't even imagine if it had been you. God, I would've been so broken," Maggie chuckles halfheartedly, shaking her head as she pulls Alex closer. "But it's not her fault, Alex. I mean look at us, barely a few months and already..." Maggie trails, doesn't really know what _they_ even are. She settles for a "you know..." then sighs. "Can you imagine losing the most important person to you? Someone you've known your whole life? I don't even have someone like that and I sympathize. How much better would you be if someone snatched Kara away from you and started torturing her, and even worse - gave you a terrible way to make it stop?"

Alex sags against the wall, frustrated. "I'd do it. I'd do anything to save her."

"See?"

"Fine, yes I get it. I'm just not thrilled about trusting some girl I don't know."

"Funny, that's exactly what she said to me before she told me her story. To be honest, she was just as wary of me as I was of her at the start."

"What made her change her mind?" 

"Her friend. They're telepathically connected, and apparently her friend managed to convince her to take a leap of faith."

"Yeah? Well, _we're_ not telepathically connected so how were you planning on convincing me?"

Maggie laughs out loud at the suggestiveness in Alex's tone, leaning her cheek on the redhead's shoulder, still grinning wickedly as Alex smirks. "Y'know... I haven't eaten _allll_ day..."

"Hungry?"

" _Starving_ ," Maggie drones dramatically, then bites her lower lip, letting her gaze fall not-so-subtly to the shy grin playing on Alex's, "but not for food." Maggie trails a hand up the length of Alex's arm, winding just around the back of her neck to pull her in for a kiss, workplace be damned. It's far more sensual than Alex expects and she wonders at the feeling of heat unfurling just beneath her skin, prickling every nerve to create the most glorious tingling sensation. When her eyes flutter close, her mind takes her back to that night at the bar, their first kiss, when Maggie poured all her pent-up emotions into Alex through her pained, electrifying touches. Alex feels a clench in her chest.

"Maggie, someone might-"

Maggie pulls back, but contrary to the mild frustration on Alex's face, the brunette laughs. "Who cares? I'm suspended for the day. It's not like they're not going to call me out for slacking on the job."

Alex rolls her eyes, but smiles and takes a step closer. "Let's get out of here."

Maggie nods, eyes twinkling in mischief. "I like the way you think, Danvers. My place or yours?"

"How 'bout Noonan's? I haven't eaten all morning either," Alex pauses to twirl a lock of Maggie's hair around her index, then tucks it behind her ear, "we should get some real fuel in."

"Fun-killer."

Alex scoffs, pecking Maggie on the lips. "Get used to it."

\---

They stop by the tech shop a short walking distance from the station for Maggie to get a new phone before they head out for breakfast. It's Alex's turn to lead. After all, they're on her turf and Maggie could never hope to out-navigate the expert. Payback's a bitch, Alex thinks, as she lets her speed meter tick a couple notches slower every minute, aggravating Maggie. Maggie stiffens on her bike, so evidently forcing herself to ease onto the rear brakes to match Alex's pace. Wouldn't want to crash into her girlfriend before they'd even had their first real date, though Maggie swears under her breath that this is cruelty at it's best.

"I hate you," she says as they pull up side by side in the parking lot of Noonan's.

"You wish."

"I do," Maggie huffs as she locks her helmet to the handlebar. Alex doesn't even hear her, because god damn does Maggie look absolutely _sinful_ with her hair in a disheveled mess. If just fifteen minutes in a helmet and wild wind could do that, imagine how delicious Maggie would be after fifteen hours in bed. Alex licks her lips, trying to contain her longing to wake up next to Maggie in the morning.

"Hey, come back to me Danvers."

"What? Oh, sorry. Blanked out a little there."

Maggie shakes her head in amusement, loosening her waves as they settle around her shoulders. When she catches Alex full-on staring this time, she grins so hard her dimples show. "You could be a little less obvious, you know."

"You're fucking _so_ perfect, Maggie Sawyer."

Maggie laughs, suddenly feeling light as a feather. She reaches out for Alex's hand as an anchor, afraid she'll float into the clouds and disappear forever if she doesn't. Maggie's never been _perfect_ before. It was always 'too cold', 'too busy', 'too uninterested' - miles from perfection, but Alex didn't think so. Sweet, amazing Alex, who never failed to give Maggie the jitters, always _always_ made Maggie's heart skip a couple thousand beats at a time, who'd spent the entire night searching for her with Marrow so that they could be the first to find her in the morning. Maggie feels the quaver of emotions bubbling against the walls of her tummy, like it so often does whenever she's close to Alex because of how nervous she gets - in the best way possible.

"You okay? You're shaking," Alex frowns at their interlaced fingers as she feels the tremble of Maggie's palm in hers.

"Just... Cold," Maggie lies.

"Let's get you inside."

It definitely is much warmer in the restaurant. Alex's waitress friend greets them casually, leading them to the same table in the corner they'd sat at before.

"Thanks Stace," Alex says as she takes her seat.

Maggie gets bagels, and Alex gets toast, but both round their orders off with a piping cup of coffee.

"Feeling better?" Alex asks as Stacey leaves after serving their drinks.

"Hm? Yeah, much better," Maggie grins, taking a small sip from her cup.

"So, tell me more about this alien girl and how she wants us to help her friend."

"Her name's Elara. She's some kind of moon princess, and her 'friend' is actually a kitten that shares a psychic connection with her and gives her the power to glow. So yeah, crazy times. The rival factions in her home colony conspired against her and exiled her here. She almost died adapting, and when she fought past all that, Maxwell Lord tracked her down and nabbed her only companion. Dick head, really. He wants the president dead before he even considers sparing the both of them. She's hoping we can raid the lab where Lord is keeping her pal and get her out because he slapped some kind of tracking device on her. She goes anywhere near the place and her friend's as good as ash."

"Um hold on, did you say a cat?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous but the little guy's all she's got. Think about it this way, we'll finally get a real shot at catching Maxwell Lord. Blackmailing an alien to kill the president? With Elara's testimony, we'll be able to lock that bastard away for good."

"Killing two birds with one stone. I guess if helping that girl means that much to you, I'm all for it."

A waiter brings them their food, and Maggie's so used to seeing Stacey that she almost forgot there are other servers in this eatery. She smiles anyway, to be polite.

"So, you've heard all about my night. I want to hear about yours."

Alex freezes, suddenly overcome with anxiety. Talking about last night would mean talking about how emotionally wrecked she was, and she's not sure if Maggie's ready to hear it, despite what she says. Would it be moving too fast? They haven't had the time for an actual sentimental talk, Alex realizes. From the get-go, it was always cryptic flirting and skirting around real feelings, neither daring to move too far from the fun and the fluff, but things are different now. Maggie knows about the DEO. Sure, there are a couple more secrets - one huge _super_ secret - but it's progress. They should be able to be a little more candid now, right?

"Well, when we got the message that the target had gotten away, we didn't know anyone had been taken. Everyone in the ballroom seemed okay; the ceiling didn't even shatter like the last time. Of course, we were all frustrated that she'd escaped, but our top priority was no casualties. Going after aliens as long as I have, you learn to expect the unexpected and never underestimate them. My team packed up pretty quick, but when I made it back to base my boss and-" Alex clears her throat, faking a cough, catching herself before she says 'my sister' or worse, 'Supergirl'. "Sorry, yeah, my boss told me what the FBI chief told him and he said he'd send someone down to help. Once he heard your name, he knew I'd insist on going."

"Wait, you told your boss about us?"

"Uh... In my defense, he's basically like a second father to me."

Maggie bursts out laughing, "you're some kind of work, Alex Danvers. Secret agent, two dads, anything else I should know?"

Alex chuckles, "well I can't reveal all my secrets in a day, what if you're one of those girls only in it for the mystery?"

"Afraid to lose me, Danvers?"

The outright ask stuns Alex and sends a chill down her spine. She swallows, suddenly feeling inexplicably vulnerable and exposed.

"I'm kidding, Alex," Maggie assures when she feels the tension start to seep from across the table. "I could know all of you and still want more."

Alex blinks, unaware of the blush staining her cheeks as her eyes remain glued to Maggie's. Maggie notices though, and offers an adorable dimpled grin in response. The silence flows on for a couple more mouthfuls of carbs before they settle down into more casual conversation. Maggie is in the middle of explaining her profound love for bonsai trees when Alex's phone starts to ring.

"Is it...?"

"Yes. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Mhmm," Maggie nods, biting the inside of her cheek to alleviate her anxiety. She watches in nervous anticipation as Alex walks away, taking the call.

\---

"Danvers," Alex confirms.

"Alex, I spoke with the defense minister. It's a go. Take Maggie back here and we can craft a plan."

"Copy that. Thanks J'onn. We'll head right over."

\---

Maggie jumps out of her seat when Alex waves her over from the counter as she settles the bill. They head out the back, stopping in the space between their bikes.

"So? What'd he say?"

"How would you feel about getting to know my workplace a little?" The clever grin plastered on Alex's face drives a yelp of relief from Maggie. 

"Seriously? Oh thank god! Let's go, right now."

"Whoa. Thank _god_? What about me?"

Maggie laughs musically, inching closer until Alex's back bumps against her ride. " _You_ get more than just words," Maggie purrs, hands on Alex's sides. "All yours for the night."

It's a walk in the park for Maggie now, after Alex came clean. She slides back into the familiar rhythm of harmless teasing, quick and easy and trying to catch her lady off-guard just for the thrill of it. In Maggie's case, nothing has ever been slow or steady, most certainly not her relationships. More often than not, they're like summer break; flaming hot, a hell lot of fun, and over before you know it. She wants to settle, of course she does, but never knows what she's doing wrong to mess it all up.

Alex chuckles, but shakes her head. "I don't want a one-and-done, Maggie."

It's Alex's words that make her realize, maybe everything crumbles so quick because she's never been patient enough to secure a solid foundation before building the house. Maggie dives head-first into the pleasure, always curious and too bloody adventurous, but Alex isn't quite as confident when it boils down to the real deal. You can't fault her, really, considering it's her first time with a woman. She'd been exploring the possibility of being a lesbian for a while, but it was only when Maggie rolled into town that she officially came to terms with it. This little lady, staring up at her with big, brown eyes, stole her heart the moment they locked eyes. She knew for a fact then, no matter what happened between them, she had never ever felt this way about a boy before. Everything suddenly became clear as day, it was almost like she'd been reborn with a fresh outlook on life. That doesn't mean she'd forsaken her past experiences though. The sheer amount of fuckboys Alex had gotten herself tangled up with throughout college itself might've been enough to give her indestructible alien sister a stroke. She's not getting any younger and despite the gnawing urge to run her fingers over every inch of Maggie, she doesn't want her first relationship with a woman - this woman in particular - to flop.

Maggie doesn't say a word, and Alex feels a switch flip inside her.

"It-It's not that I don't want you. I-I mean, of course I do. Look at you. You're beautiful, and smart, and kind, and-"

"Alex, stop." Maggie takes Alex by the wrist, calming her flailing arms. She laces her fingers into Alex's short hair, tugging at the roots lightly as she leans up into Alex for a deep kiss. Instantly, Alex feels the wind knocked out of her, breathless as she revels in the roughness of Maggie's tongue against hers. Maggie finally pulls back when she needs a top-up of oxygen, letting her hand fall from Alex's hair and onto her shoulder. "Someone would have to actually die for me to leave you before morning comes. You're never going to just be an easy fuck for me, Danvers. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to."

"I want to," Alex promises, torn to bits at even the slightest chill in Maggie's tone, "it's just..."

"I know," Maggie smiles, "it's okay. Whenever you're ready. Waiting just makes the cake that much sweeter." Her eyes shine with a playful but sincere gleam as she whispers, "I can't wait to _devour_ every little bit of you."

The tease isn't quite as sexual anymore, but Maggie sure can fake a joke if it means putting Alex's mind at ease, in the hopes that she'll stop worrying that she crossed some kind of makeshift line. Maggie knows Alex didn't mean it that way, but she can't shake the thought of Alex just _expecting_ her to be the type to sleep around. The butterflies in her chest seem to harden to stone, weighing her down as she follows far behind Alex, not even bothering to swerve in and out of traffic to catch up. She spends the entire trip wrestling with herself, doubting her advances towards every single woman that has come into her life. Was she really just playing all of them? Did they always leave because her interest in them diminished so obviously after a period of high? Could she do it to Alex, too? Maggie hopes not. She can't imagine going into this knowing she's going to ruin Alex by the end of it. Her thoughts are forced to an abrupt halt when Alex turns into a highly guarded facility, ambiguous and twice the size of the entire precinct.

"Damn," Maggie mutters, awestruck, "this is unreal."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write as the story goes and upload once I'm satisfied with the word count and development so I'm actually not very far ahead from all of you reading it. I hope you guys enjoy this one. I'm playing with the writing style a little, and it's been quite fun!

"This place, is sick, like James Bond bad guy hideout sick."

"Yeah, we have our moments," Alex nods with a smile as she guides Maggie towards the main wide table.

A tall, dark gentleman approaches from across the room and greets Maggie in possibly the most neutral expression she's ever seen from anyone her entire life. He introduces himself as J'onn J'onzz and falls straight into business, but before Maggie can speak, the most unexpected guest interrupts them.

"Hi there!" the enthusiastic cheer draws every pair of eyes in the room to her, and Maggie is shell-shocked and a little taken aback at the deja vu feeling she gets. It's Supergirl, in the flesh, walking, not flying, and looking so unbelievably _normal_. "You're Maggie, aren't you? I've heard so much about you."

"Supergirl!" Alex hisses, and Maggie cocks a brow. Okay, so this girl and Alex are close. 

"Have you, now?" Maggie chuckles.

"Oh, yes. I'm so glad you're okay. What happened last night? I'm sorry I didn't get there on time."

"No, don't worry about it, can't be everywhere at once."

"Certainly not. Now, detective Sawyer, would you mind sharing with us the events of last night and how we can take down Maxwell Lord?" J'onn asks.

Maggie regurgitates everything she's told Alex, and it's slightly unnerving when none of them seem remotely fascinated. They must see and hear these kinds of kooky things all the time.

"Lunarians are one of the few species to really emulate the traits of their home planet. Like the moon, they're known to be mild, easy-going, incredibly nurturing, but very reserved and secretive. It makes sense, that they'd find a non-lunar characteristic a threat. They're also deathly loyal to their Albedo and vice versa, so that part checks out. Back on Krypton, my mom used to tell me stories about how those creatures were perfectly selected by the moon to serve as guardians and companions for each Lunarian, bestowing some special gift to their appointed partner. They would become part of each other, destined to walk side by side for eternity. Losing one would be like destroying the other. It's actually a miracle the girl hasn't killed everyone in her path to get to her Albedo, she's definitely showing some real restraint." Maggie frowns at Supergirl, baffled by the sudden matter-of-fact way of speaking, a far cry from the bubbly spirit she had when she first entered the room.

"How long do you think she'll be able to hold herself back?" Alex asks Supergirl.

"I don't know, but the second she snaps," Supergirl shakes her head, looking grave, "we're all toast. Lunarians are virtually indestructible. The moon has no atmosphere to shield from the intense heat of the sun so extreme temperatures don't bother them; no protection from comets or solar flares either, so anything that comes at them they've got the power to either blast through or dodge. They basically have a forcefield as a second skin. I don't even think I've ever heard of a Lunarian bleeding. Sunlight has been known to weaken them, but like the moon, most of it just gets reflected. All in all, yeah, pretty indestructible."

"What about their Albedo? Elara says Maxwell Lord found their weakness and is using it to hurt her Albedo, Lumina," Maggie frowns.

"He could be, I don't know, blinding her with solar energy, I guess? I've never heard of it physically _hurting_ them though, only weakening, but maybe with a high enough intensity it could?"

"Maggie, do you think you'd be able to get her to come down to finalize a plan with us?" When J'onn speaks, everyone seems to straighten.

"I can give her a call, but she might not be willing to risk getting caught if it means jeopardizing her friend. Lord still has that tracker on her."

"We can meet at the same rooftop you both were at, after dark. If she brought you there it must be a usual hideout, somewhere Lord wouldn't be suspicious of and wouldn't be able to watch."

"I'll see what she thinks."

"If you give me her number, we could get Mr Schott to call her from the comms control center."

Maggie looks over at the nerdy tech boy sitting in a swirly chair in front of the main monitors, giving her a goofy wave. "Um, yeah, it's all right. I think she'd prefer it if I kept the line private. I'll be right back."

It's so awkward as she walks away, she can feel everyone at the conference table staring at her retreating figure. She swears they're talking about her as soon as she falls out of hearing range, but shoves the thought away and pulls out the slip of paper in her back pocket.

"Hello?" Maggie hears the dainty, mellow voice as soon as the line clicks through.

"Elara? It's Maggie."

"Hi Maggie," Elara's voice softens, "I'm so glad you're okay. Did you speak to your captain?"

"I did. He refused, but I'm with the DEO now, a government organization specializing in dealing with aliens, and they've agreed to help. They're wondering if you could meet with us to fix a plan."

"I can't. Maxwell Lord will-"

"We can meet you at the rooftop you took me to last night. It's your safe place, isn't it?"

The silence on the other side drags on as Elara ponders, looking out.

"These people... They promised to help?"

"They said they would, yes."

"Do you trust them?"

"Me? I don't know, Elara. I just met most of them so I can't say for sure. I _do_ trust one member of the team though, and she swears by the rest of them."

"I see... And is her word enough for you?"

"It is, yeah. Is mine enough for you?"

"It is, yes."

Warmth floods Maggie's chest, moved by the trust this young girl has placed in her. Suddenly it feels a lot like she's talking to Marrow.

"Tonight at nine?"

"Sure, I'll see you all there."

"Wait, Elara?"

"Yes?"

"... Be careful, okay?"

Elara tilts her head, gazing at the flowers entwined around the frame of her window. "I will," she says, and they hang up.

When Maggie returns, the entire group goes quiet, waiting to hear what she has to say. Elara's question of whether they can be trusted rings in her head, loud and clear, and Maggie wonders if counting on this obscure, covert organization is really the right way to go. She trusts Alex, and although she told Elara it's enough, is it really? This girl is relying on her and risking everything by agreeing to talk with the very people who want her locked in a cage. Then again, what other choice does she have? She couldn't possibly barge into the lab herself. She'd likely be dead before she can even get to Lumina. Maggie relays the meeting time and place to Alex's 'second-dad', realizing she's got no better option.

"Sounds good." J'onn signals to Winn to note the location down. "Nice meeting you, Maggie. See you tonight."

Alex grins as she makes her way over. "One step closer to resolving this assassination case for good."

"After all this, Elara walks. Right?"

The quick glance between Alex and Supergirl doesn't miss Maggie's eye.

"It's not up to me, Mags. Though I suspect if we manage to get Lord, we might be able to fight for it."

"We'll get him," Maggie declares, and Supergirl smiles.

"You know, this is the first time we're actually working with the bad guy. We've pulled intel from crooks before, but never really teamed up in an actual mission like this."

"Elara's not the enemy."

"I believe you," Supergirl says without hesitation.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Going after her the night of the state dinner, we barely even fought. She was running from me, not once did she go on the offensive. I thought it was weird that she was deflecting every blow I threw at her, but it all makes sense now. I didn't even get a proper look at her that night because she just kept trying to put distance between us. Thankfully, I must say, because Lunarians thrive in moonlight and Kryptonians in sunlight. Her powers would've been at the peak, contrast to mine. Our species are actually opposites in a lot of ways."

"Would she be your match?" Alex asks, a hint of worry masked behind nonchalance.

"I don't think so. From what Maggie says, she's still pretty young and hasn't been honing her powers for attack, but I wouldn't know for sure. I've never encountered a Lunarian before, it's hard to gauge the extent of her abilities."

"Hopefully we'll never get to witness it," Alex mutters.

"Don't be such a worrywart, Alex. Everything will be fine, right Maggie?"

Maggie nods, unconsciously smiling back at Supergirl. "If only everyone were as optimistic as you are."

Supergirl chuckles, "it's probably because Kryptonians run on literal sunshine." The tinge of pride woven in her words makes Maggie grin.

In contrast, Alex mocks her with a scoff. "Can the _sunshine_ give us a bit of privacy?"

Maggie laughs, and Supergirl scowls in disdain. "See you later, Maggie." She waves as she takes her leave, and Maggie half expects her to blast off and out.

"She works with us," Alex says, almost as if she could read Maggie's mind.

"Huh. What's that like?"

"She's a huge help. A lot of the time, she takes on the big bads solo because we don't have the power to match up. She's saved more lives than we can count."

"National City's own hero."

"She really is. We're very lucky to have her."

Maggie raises a skeptical brow, and Alex kisses the frown in her forehead.

"Her and I, we're not like that."

"Good, because if you set a jealous alien on me, I'll kill you."

Alex laughs against Maggie's cheek, nuzzling into her. Maggie's surprised to find that other than a few knowing grins, no one spares them any dirty looks or second glances. Maybe these people aren't so bad after all.

"I miss Marrow," Maggie suddenly says, her sigh blowing strands of hair from Alex's face. "We always have lunch together. I think I'm gonna head back to the station to find her."

"Yeah okay, I was thinking of discussing with J'onn and Supergirl about tonight anyway, get a basic plan out first since the Lunarian probably won't want to stay very long."

"You can call her Elara, Alex. And don't worry, I doubt she'll be rushing off anywhere if working with us means saving her friend. By all means though, lay the groundwork."

Alex leans in to close the gap, and Maggie sucks on her bottom lip lightly as they pull apart. "Ride safe, and say hi to Marrow for me."

\---

The captain's nowhere to be found when Maggie gets back. Karen rushes to her.

"Maggie, hey. Didn't get to talk to you this morning. How are you? Last night must've been crazy."

"I'm good, Karen. Yeah, hell of a night, but well worth it if it means helping out that young girl."

"Man, you really think she's innocent, don'tcha?" Fletcher sneers like he thinks Maggie's insane.

"I do, actually. Yeah."

"One night and she's got you around her little alien finger."

"Shut the fuck up, Fletcher. Not everybody's as two dimensional as you are."

"This bitch tries to kill us, takes you, then has the audacity to demand for help? Yeah, it's _our_ fault for not falling at her feet. She's psychotic, and dangerous, and hasn't done _anything_ at all to earn our trust. Need I remind you that the rest of us weren't there with you last night and all we know of her is the shit she's been stirring? On top of that, we've really only just met you. How can you expect us to take you at your word?"

"Fletcher, enough." Karen chides, trying to ease the tension.

"No, it's ridiculous! She _expects_ us to just fall in line with everything she says, like we're children. I get that you're pissed at the captain, Maggie. We're all dicks sometimes, but really, can you blame him? You disobeyed a direct order, vanished for hours, then show up in the morning like it's nothing, asking us to spare our most wanted offender. She went after the president, Maggie, of the fucking USA. That isn't something you can expect us to just brush off. The guys up there would never allow it."

Everyone in the room is staring by now, but no one says a thing. It’s clear enough that they all agree with Fletcher and if Maggie’s being completely honest, she kind of does too. It _was_ pretty shitty of her to expect all that from them when they never got to talk to Elara like she did. God knows before last night, Maggie herself was more than happy to throw that girl behind bars.

"You're right," Maggie says, resigned and filled with remorse. "I was being a little shit. I know you guys have no reason to believe me or her and I can't convince you otherwise, but I trust my gut and I have to stick with it. I'm sorry for assuming everyone should understand where I'm coming from, I guess I was too caught up in trying to prove the girl's innocence and, to a certain extent, myself. It's fine if you disagree with the way I see things, none of you should do anything you don't feel compelled to do, but I'm doing what I feel is right and I can't let this girl take the fall for Maxwell Lord. It's not fair to her."

"And how exactly do you plan on taking on Lord on your own?"

Maggie scoffs. "I'm from Gotham, remember? Whatever it takes."

It's pin-drop silent as she leaves, heading to the IT department to find June. The young one squeals when she sees Maggie, running to pounce on her. Some things never change.

"Maggie, you're back! Did Cap lift your suspension?"

"No, and I don't think he's going to, Mar. I came to find you for lunch."

"Oh bless your little person, Maggie. I'm starving. The captain has been in a fit all morning, making me chase cold leads on the alien girl. I wiped the footage of you getting in the Uber from our system, so there's really nothing for me to go on."

"What footage?"

"We got traffic cam footage of you this morning outside her apartment building. That's how Alex and I knew to find you."

"Oh my god, Marrow! Why didn't you tell me about that? Does anyone else have the footage? Could the authorities know where to find Elara?"

"It's a city feed, Maggie. Anybody with a decent skill in IT could hack it, much less government organizations."

"Fuck. I have to call her. They could be on their way to execute her right now."

Maggie dials Elara's number, praying the line goes through. It does, and Maggie heaves the deepest sigh of relief. How is it possible that everyone in the entire world seems so hellbent on destroying this girl even after Maxwell Lord has been brought into the picture?

"Hi Maggie," Elara's silvery voice, calm and gentle, cures her panic instantly.

"Elara, thank god. You need to get out of your apartment, find somewhere to lay low until tonight. The authorities know where you live and they might come for you."

"I thought they agreed to help?"

"One group did. Not to be harsh, but the rest want you in a box."

"I see, and you don't?"

"What are you talking about? Of course not, Elara. I want to help you."

"And when all this is over? When Lumina is back by my side and Maxwell Lord is in cuffs."

"I'll fight for your freedom."

"It's not your fight, Maggie. When this ends, our partnership ends, okay? I don't want to get you into any more trouble."

"That's not your call to make."

"It's yours. I'm just a stranger."

"You're just strange. You're not a criminal, and you don't belong in a cell."

"Your heart _sways_ , Maggie." It's crazy, but Maggie swears she can hear the smile in Elara's voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing you don't want it to," Elara states simply. "Thank you for the warning, Maggie. See you when the moon rises."

Elara takes Maggie's speechlessness as an answer of silence. Even the click and monotonous beep after the call sounds significantly more graceful when Elara's the one who hangs up.

"What's happening tonight?"

Maggie flinches, snapping back to reality.

"What?"

"Tonight," Marrow frowns. "You told her to 'lay low until tonight'."

"Oh, yeah. Alex and I are meeting up with Elara to figure out a plan to save her friend and catch Maxwell Lord."

"Along with Alex's super secret team, I'm guessing."

Maggie sighs. "I'm sorry, Marrow, but this isn’t my secret to tell.”

“I know. Alex seems all right. She was really worried about you last night, you know.”

Maggie hides her blush behind a taunt. “Weren't you furious with her just yesterday morning? You get attached to people way too quickly.”

“Oh yeah? What about Elara then?”

“That’s different. She’s a young alien girl, all alone and being squeezed into a tight corner. It would be downright cruel of me to turn her away.”

"Can't I meet her, Maggie? She sounds like she could really use a friend," June whines with a pout.

Maggie laughs at the visual. "I can't pull you into this black ops thing, Marrow, it's not safe. Though it would be fun watching you guys interact. She's mellow, cooler than a cucumber, and you're an actual human fireball. You guys are basically polar opposites. Still, sometimes when I talk to her, I feel like I'm talking to you."

June fakes an agonizingly unrealistic gasp. "You're not _replacing_ me, are you?"

"Elara didn't help me with girl problems, silly. Now get your jealous ass out the door. I'm hungry."

The time flies by quicker than Maggie expects. It hardly ever happened back in Gotham, but conversations with June and Alex and even Karen sometimes seem to fast forward like some kind of time-lapse here. It could be the place, but it's much more likely to be the people themselves; good-natured and genuine, not driven by bribes and ill intention, unlike the folks back in that dark city. Somewhere during the course of lunch, Maggie unconsciously lets slip Alex's remark about her being a one-night-stand type of girl, and Maggie realizes just how much it's actually been eating at her in the back of her mind. June realizes too, because she's June, and pays the closest attention to every detail in her field of view.

"I don't know how to feel. I want to say that she's wrong, but I've hardly ever had decently long-lasting relationships, and I'm usually the one that does something stupid which ends it."

"You're afraid that once you and Alex go _too far_ , you'll stop loving her."

" _Love_ is a big word, Marrow."

"Well, the last 'boyfriend' I had was in preschool so this is way out of my league, but I can see how much you guys like each other. I mean Alex, she was trying really hard to stay composed last night, but trust me when I say that woman was _mental_. And these past few weeks, not knowing that little bit about her crushed you to pieces. Honestly, I don't think either one of you can be without the other at this point of time."

"What if I hurt her?"

"But what if you don't? Truth is, you won't know until you get there. Why don't you ask yourself - could you see a future with Alex? Could this relationship be different?"

"I hate secrets, which is weird, considering I've spent so much of my life in Gotham. That place was always dingy, and suspicious, and creepy. Everyone had a motive for everything they did, it was like a real life thriller film, 24/7, all year long. Even with the initial secrecy, I've never had as transparent a relationship as I do with Alex. It's like she _wants_ to tell me everything she can about herself and wants to know everything about me just as bad. She's a secret agent and I know more about her than I did my last girlfriend, a high school music teacher."

"So it could work, then. Maybe it was the not-knowing that drove you crazy, and Alex isn't like them. And if you're really worried about ruining what you guys have, why not wait a bit before you get... you know... hands on." June wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, a crack in the otherwise serious conversation.

Maggie laughs, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I should get my feelings in check first, really be sure about where I want this thing to go."

"That's great," June nods, signature grin back in place. "I'm happy for you, Maggie."

"You always are. It's the best thing about you."

Maggie takes June back to the station before it's long enough to piss off the captain in case he returns. They learn from the other IT staff that he surprisingly hasn't come back at all, so Maggie stays on to chat with June while she works. There's not a word from Alex, or Elara, or the feds, and for the briefest few hours, Maggie finds herself back at where she was just days before, when there were no alien princesses in need of saving, and no hard-ass superiors breathing down her neck. Just her, and the simplest mind she knows. Ironically, said mind is also in fact one of the most brilliant, though she seldom acts like it.

"Can we get burritos tomorrow?" June chirps.

"Only if we get salad tonight. I'll fall asleep during the meeting if I'm loaded with carbs."

"Deal. We can go to Mr Myer's. Have you been there?"

"No, Marrow. You ask me that every time you suggest a new place."

"Yeah, well. They make a mean bean salad."

"Sure, you'll have to send me the address, as always."

It's seven in the night when they settle down for dinner and Maggie can hardly keep herself still, fidgeting in her seat. Alex dropped her a text reminding her about it, though Maggie's ninety percent sure she just wants to double confirm the details. God knows Maggie wouldn't miss tonight for anything.

"Maggie, chill."

"It's happening in two hours. I can't believe it."

June giggles with a mouthful of lettuce. "You're so weird, Maggie. I thought you'd be more excited about this. It's all you've wanted to do since this morning."

"I'm stoked, but nervous. I just hope we figure something out before Maxwell Lord gets onto us. If we lose the element of surprise, he could drop Elara like _that_ ," Maggie says with the snap of her fingers.

"True. Man, he's really got her cornered. By the way, I _told_ you she was little, didn't I? From the very start! I told you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever kid."

"Tell me how everything goes, okay? Don't you dare disappear again," June warns severely, "I'm young, but heart attacks can happen to anyone and I'm not ready for one yet."

Maggie rolls her eyes. "I won't. Alex will be there. We'll watch each other."

"You better," June mutters with a pout, shoving a fry into her mouth.

\---

As the night deepens into a murky black, Maggie pulls up to a compact, gloomy building far out from the heart of the city. It's an odd location, midway between the quiet coast and the crazy commotion, the sort of real estate you'd expect to sell well but never really does. Despite being here just hours before, Maggie has zero recollection of the place. Absolutely nothing seems familiar. It's not that much of a surprise, really, considering they never actually left the rooftop at all and she _was_ quite distracted by a certain glowing extraterrestrial. At the thought of her, Maggie pulls out her phone. The first thing she sees is the time.

**_8:56pm_ **

Her legs start moving. The second thing she sees is the text from Alex.

_From: Alex  
We've got the team assembled on the rooftop. Where are you?_

She doesn't bother replying, convinced that Alex probably already saw her arrive on her Triumph. When Maggie makes it through the front doors, she realizes the entire building is deserted. It's completely unfurnished, bare to the bones, and truly the definition of creepy.

"Damn," Maggie mutters, making her way to the stairwell. She makes it to the roof with just a minute to spare, and almost falls to the ground when she's greeted with a dozen flashlights shining into her eyes and at least three guns aimed at her head.

"Geez, guys, turn it off. We don't want to spook the target," Alex hisses, approaching Maggie with arm outstretched. "Are you okay?"

"Slightly blind, but I'll be fine."

Alex laughs, running her hand over Maggie's hair. Before the two have a chance to sink into the moment, Supergirl speaks out.

"Show yourself. I can hear your heartbeat."

Maggie looks over in anticipation, not quite sure where Elara could be. Right in front of them, floating in mid-air, a purplish glimmer starts to take form against the dark sky, softly lighting up the unmistakable silhouette of the Lunarian girl. She says nothing, but scans the crowd beneath her and fixes her gaze on Maggie. The glow of the cheshire moon on her forehead draws all awe and attention.

"Come down so we can talk," Supergirl says, more of an order than a suggestion.

At Maggie's nod, Elara lowers herself onto the roof, in front of Supergirl. With the source of moonlight among them, Maggie realizes there are at least two dozen fully equipped men keeping guard over the meeting. Man, the DEO really doesn't mess around.

"So, Maggie tells us you need our help."

"I do, yes." Elara's voice is still elegant and mild as always. "Maxwell Lord has taken my friend."

"Your Albedo. Where's he holding her?"

"By the coast. They have her in a cage in one of their experimental labs. They're hurting her to make me murder the president."

Alex strides forward. "You want her back, and we want Maxwell Lord, along with every bit of his research. If you keep him occupied while we go through his lab for his work _and_ your friend, will you detain him for us? Our sources say you're strong enough to."

"Your sources are right," Elara says simply. "I'm not one for violence but I can make an exception for justice to be served."

"Great, we have a deal then. We’ll give you a set of comms, so that we can communicate with you.” Alex nods at the young man standing behind Maggie, presumably gesturing for him to come forward with the equipment.

Maggie doesn’t bother to turn around, making eye contact with Elara and giving a small smile to reassure her. She freezes when she feels the cold metal pressed into the back of her head. Everything seems to slow to a blur, the bluey glow around Elara materializing into a thickening cloud at her fingertips. Alex draws her gun in rage, but trains it at Maggie, because the man is standing directly behind her, using her as a human shield. Everybody else is too shocked to react and it’s a horror show when more guns rise to take aim at Maggie from all sides.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, drop your weapons right now!” Alex barks. 

“Orders from the general. The alien’s coming with us,” the man standing behind Maggie states.

“I don’t think so. The general agreed to this agreement with the Lunarian. Why would he send men to take her in?” J’onn questions, steady in spite of the situation.

“Because he knew she’d take the bait,” a voice booms from the direction of the stairwell. As the man steps out of the shadows and into the moonlight, everyone glares. The general grins slyly, a glowing green object in hand. Alex spins around the see Supergirl crouched on the ground, hands on her knees in agony. “Oh, I hope you don't mind. The kryptonite's just in case you decide to have one of your heroic spurts. You see, we’d actually planned to ambush the Lunarian at her apartment this afternoon, but thanks to Supergirl over here, we found out during the lunch meeting that her kind tend to get a little jumpy. In other words, we wouldn't be able to take her unless she came willingly. So how could we convince her to?" the general asks aloud dramatically. "That's right. The detective from Gotham who fancies herself as alien attorney. We can only expect the sentiment to have grown both ways. So, Ms Moon, are we right?"

"Don't do it, Elara. They won't shoot me. They'd have to kill every DEO agent here to get away with it. And even then, they wouldn't."

The general laughs, amused. "Who said anything about killing you? No, of course we can't just drop you, but what we _can_ do is arrest you."

"On what charge?" Maggie challenges.

"Aiding and abetting. Conspiring with a known terrorist. Treason."

"Bullshit."

“Tell that to the president.”

“She’s in on this?”

“I don’t know about you detective, but most people don’t like being shot at around here. The president’s no exception. Now, Miss, are you really going to let her take the fall for your mistakes?”

“Elara, don’t,” Maggie warns, but her insistent eyes are met with peaceable ones. Everyone watches as the blue and purple drain from Elara's figure. Under the bright green light of the kryptonite, Elara looks just like everyone else, but much littler, and suddenly so much more fragile. It's devastating to Maggie, who screams out when she steps forward to be restrained by two armed federal agents.

"Now let her go."

The general gives a nod, and every gun falls from Maggie immediately.

"Don't take her, general, please! Maxwell Lord is tracking her, he'll know and run. We'll never get another shot at him like this!"

"He's human, where could he possibly run from us? A testimony from her should be enough for us to open an investigation of malicious intent on Lord. That way we’ll have _both_ these guys convicted, just like they should be."

"And what about her friend? You’re just going to let her _die_?"

"That's not our concern, is it, detective?"

Maggie grits her teeth, clenching her fists to stop from flinging herself at the bastard.

"If you must know," the general taunts further, "should we come across the cat during our investigation, we'll be sure to throw her in a matching cell to her owner."

The cosmic energy swims under Elara's skin, eyes shrouded darkly even as she keeps her silence.

"We're done here. Get her in the van." At the general's order, the men move out, escorting Elara down the stairwell and out of sight. The frustration claws at Maggie's insides as she watches helplessly. When they're gone, she looks over at Alex, tears of defeat brimming.

"Consider this a warning, Supergirl. If you interfere, we will come for you too."

As soon as the general leaves, Maggie runs to the edge of the rooftop, peering down at the men loading Elara into a black van like she's a criminal. Elara looks up at her in the split second before she's shoved into the vehicle, and despite the prospect of never seeing her best friend again, she somehow seems relieved to see that Maggie's safe. A million thoughts spinning through the hysteria-section of her brain, Maggie throws herself around in the all consuming darkness. The few flashlights clicked on by several DEO agents shine on Alex at Supergirl's side, helping her up from the aftereffects of the kryptonite.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," Supergirl stammers sincerely, and Alex heads towards her once Supergirl insists she's okay. Everything in Maggie shuts down.

"No," she says firmly, palms out and backing away from Alex's approach, "not now," and stalks off, raking an exasperated hand through her messy hair. Maggie's a fucking mess as she leaves, and Alex can't help but feel powerless and guilty for the terrible turn in the night. She said she would help but not only did she ruin that chance for Maggie, she allowed Maggie to be the reason for Elara's capture. For the first time, Alex feels damned and full of regret for not fully trusting Maggie about the Lunarian. She sacrificed not only her own life, but her best friend's, for Maggie's sake. It's a million times worse knowing that Elara didn't want to trust anybody besides Maggie, and only agreed to because Maggie assured her that Alex vouched for her team. How the hell did it get to this - her team liaising with traitors only keen on throwing more threats at Elara. They should've kept this mission strictly DEO, shouldn't have colluded with the feds at all. Now Elara's taken, Maggie's gone, Kara's in pain, Maxwell Lord is still out there, and Alex can't do a damn thing about any of it.


End file.
